LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Gl  FT    OF 


Class 


TO  THE  HOMES  OF  EMINENT  ORATORS 


PERICLES 


Vol.  XII.  JANUARY,  1903.   No.  i 


By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 


Single  Copies,  25  cents  By  the  Year,  $3.00 


LITTLE   JOURNEYS 

BY     E'L  B  E  R  T     H  U  B  B  A  R  D      F  o  R 

1903     WILL     BE     TO     T  H  E     HOMES      OF 

EMINENT    ORATORS 


SUBJECTS  AS  FOLLOWS:. 

1  Pericles  7  Mirabeau 

2  Mark  Antony  8  Robert  Ingersoll 

3  Savonarola  9  John  Randolph 

4  Martin  Luther  10  Thomas  Starr  King 

5  Edmund  Burke  11  Henry  Ward  Beecher 

6  William  Pitt  12  Wendell  Phillips 

One  booklet  a  month  will  be  issued  as  usual,  beginning  on 

January  1st. 

The  LITTLE  JOURNEYS  for  1903  will  be  strictly  de  luxe  in 

form  and  workmanship.  The  type  will  be  a  new  font  of  antique 

blackface ;    the  initials  designed   especially  for  this  work;    a 

frontispiece  portrait  from  the  original  drawing  made  at  our 

•Shop  in  each  on  Japan  Vellum.  The  booklets  will  be  stitched 

by  hand  with  silk. 

The  price — 25  cents  each,  or  $3.00  for  the  year. 

Address     THE     ROYCROFTERS     at    their 
Shop,    which   is   at    East    Aurora,   New  York 

Entered    at  the  postoffice   at   East   Aurora,  New    York,  for  "transmission 
as  .second-class    mail    matter.'  Copyright,     1902,    by    Elbert    Hubbard. 


THE  STOVE 

With  the  absent  ash  pan — the  fa 
mous  Round  Oak — did  not  come  on  earth  with 
out  an  ash  pan  in  the  bottom  by  accident — Mr. 
Beckwith  gave  that  part  of  its  anatomy  right 
hard  study.  He  discovered  that  an  Oak  stove 
and  an  ash  pan  were  never  intended  to  go  to 
gether, — principle  wrong — bottom  too  large — 
grate  too  high — could  not  heat  the  floor.  Door 
too  large — could  not  be  made  tight,  to  stay 
tight.  He  wanted  a  construction  that  he  could 
make  tight — that  would  hold  fire — not  for  one 
winter,  but  for  all  its  life.  How  well  he  suc 
ceeded  is  evidenced  by  its  constant  increase  in 
sales  every  year  up  to  this  one,  the  thirty-sec 
ond — which  shows  the  greatest  gain  of  all. 
Thus  it  has  come  about  that  this  stove  of  right  principle,  thorough,  hon 
est  workmanship,  best  material  and  sold  at  a  reasonable  price  to  all 
alike — is  the  most  popular  and  has  the  greatest  sale  of  any  stove  known. 
C.  If  you  are  ever  in  need  of  a  heating  stove  and  want  to  experience 
the  comfort  and  satisfaction  of  owning  a  perfect  stove,  buy  the  genu 
ine  Round  Oak.  We  sell  only  one  merchant  in  a  town.  We  have 
agencies  everywhere  except  down  south.  There  are  about  400  imita 
tions — better  ask  for  the  stove  with  the  absent  ash  pan — and  look  for 
the  name  on  the  foot. 

"Striking  it  Rich,"  a  booklet,  will  be  sent  on  request. 

ESTATE    OF    P.    D.    BECKWITH 

DOWAGIAC,  MICHIGAN. 
MAKERS      OF      GOOD      GOODS      ONLY 


MUSIC  CABINET 

Made  of  Solid  Oak.  The  price  is  Twenty-five  Dottars. 
THE  RQYCROFTERS,  East  Aurora,  N.  Y, 


LITTLE   JOURNEYS 

Published    Monthly.    Written    by    Elbert    Hubbard. 

CIRCULATION  PER  MONTH  IS  60,000.  FULL  PACE  ADVERTISEMENT  COSTS  $100.00. 
One-half    or    one-quarter    page    at   the    same    rate. 


f  |  %HE  LITTLE  JOURNEYS  circulate  as  text  books  in  thousands  of 
schools,  colleges  and  clubs,  and  are  now  more  than  ever  recog- 
JL    nized  as  most  readable  and  instructive  essays.  Nine-tenths  of 
them  are  bound  (covers,  advertisements  and  all)  and  remain  per 
manently  in  the  libraries  of  the  owners. 

People  who  desire  to  read  and  know  of  the  world's  famous  people,  and 
to  have  their  lives  pictured  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  them  such  an 
acquaintance  as  they  can  remember  are  quick  to  discard  the  numerous 
bulky  and  uninteresting  histories  and  biographies  and  read  LITTLE 
JOURNEYS. 

They  are  keyed  a  bit  different  from  THE  PHILISTINE,  but  are  none  the 
less  enjoyable  to  the  hosts  of  Philistia  and  their  friends. 
Little  or  no  advertising  has  heretofore  been  accepted  for  LITTLE  JOUR 
NEYS  and  but  little  is  wanted,  and  that  only  of  the  highest  and  best 
class.  The  circulation  at  present  is  60,000  copies  monthly,  and  contracts 
can  be  made  now  at  the  rate  of  $100  per  page — which  is  at  the  rate  of 
one  dollar  and  sixty-six  cents  per  page  per  thousand — about  one-sixth 
of  the  cost  of  printing  and  addressing  ordinary  postal  cards. 
If  you  have  anything  to  sell  to  reading,  thinking  people,  a  better  or 
more  permanent  method  of  placing  yourself  before  them  than  an  adver 
tisement  in  LITTLE  JOURNEYS  cannot  be  found. 

Think  it  over,  and  let  us  have  your  contract  before  the  rates  are  ad 
vanced  or  the  doors  permanently  closed. 


Frederic    W.    Gardner 

Sole  owner  of  all  advertising  space  in  Hubbard's  "  Roycroft "  Publications, 
809  Fine  Arts  Building,  Chicago,  Illinois 


A     SOLDIER'S     FOE 

Knocked  Down    by  Unsuspected  Enemy. 

Coffee  so  affects  the  brain  and  nerves  that  proper 
nutrition  is  interfered  with  and  the  final  ending 
is  frequently  nervous  prostration. 
' '  During  the  Spanish-American  war,  I  went  with 
my  troop  to  Chickamauga,"  says  Lieutenant!. 
FfTalbott  of  Springfield,  Ills.  "If  there  is  any 
one  place  on  earth  where  one  drinks  more  cof 
fee  than  another  it  is  in  the  army.  It  is  a  sol 
dier's  'back  bone,'  and  I  can  assure  you  that  I 
drank  my  share.  After  several  months  of  hard 
drilling  my  health  gave  out,  the  chief  cause  be 
ing  coffee,  bad  food,  over-exertion  and  heat. 
On  the  advice  of  the  surgeon,  I  tendered  my 
resignation  and  with  my  heart  full  of  regret 
and  my  nervous  system  shattered  I  returned 
home.  Almost  the  first  thing  the  doctor  whom  I 
consulted  advised  me,  was  to  quit  coffee.  That 
was  the  first  intimation  I  had  that  coffee  had  any 
thing  to  do  with  my  condition.  The  next  thing 
was  'what  shall  I  drink?' 

My  wife's  mother  used  your  Postum  Food  Cof 
fee  and  knew  how  to  make  it  right,  so  I  tried  it 
and  grew  very  fond  of  it.  My  nervous  trouble  soon 
left;  my  old  time  health  came  back,  and  that  Fall 
I  gained  so  in  flesh  that  the  boys  on  returning 
after  'muster  out,'  hardly  knew  me.  Quitting 
coffee  and  using  Postum  did  wonders  for  me." 


Little 

3ounneys 

To  the  Homes  of 

(EMINENT 
ORATORS 


UJitittcn  by  El  bent 
Hub  bard  &  done 
into  a  Book  by  the 
Roycitoftens  at  the 
Shop,  u>bicb  is  in 
East  Jlunona,  Deto 
Yoitk,  JL  D.I  903 


When  we  agreed,  O  Aspasia !  in  the  beginning  of  our  loves,  to  com 
municate  our  thoughts  by  writing,  even  while  we  were  both  in  Athens, 
and  when  we  had  many  reasons  for  it,  we  little  foresaw  the  more 
powerful  one  that  has  rendered  it  necessary  of  late.  We  never  can 
meet  again:  the  laws  forbid  it,  and  love  itself  enforces  them.  Let  wis 
dom  be  heard  by  you  as  imperturbably,  and  affection  as  authoritative 
ly,  as  ever;  and  remember  that  the  sorrow  of  Pericles  can  rise  but 
from  the  bosom  of  Aspasia.  There  is  only  one  word  of  tenderness  we 
could  say,  which  we  have  not  said  oftentimes  before ;  and  there  is  no 
consolation  in  it.  The  happy  never  say,  and  never  hear  said,  farewell. 
C.  Reviewing  the  course  of  my  life,  it  appears  to  me  at  one  moment 
as  if  we  met  but  yesterday;  at  another  as  if  centuries  had  passed 
within  it;  for  within  it  have  existed  the  greater  part  of  those  who, 
since  the  origin  of  the  world,  have  been  the  luminaries  of  the  human 
race.  Damon  called  me  from  my  music  to  look  at  Aristides  on  his 
way  to  exile ;  and  my  father  pressed  the  wrist  by  which  he  was  lead 
ing  me  along,  and  whispered  in  my  ear: 

"  Walk  quickly  by ;  glance  cautiously;  it  is  there  Mfitiades  is  in  prison." 
C.  In  my  boyhood  Pindar  took  me  up  in  his  arms,  when  he  brought  to 
our  house  the  dirge  he  had  composed  for  the  funeral  of  my  grand 
father;  in  my  adolescence  I  offered  the  rites  of  hospitality  to  Empe- 
docles :  not  long  afterward  I  embraced  the  neck  of  ^Eschylus,  about 
to  abandon  his  country.  With  Sophocles  I  have  argued  on  eloquence ; 
with  Euripides  on  policy  and  ethics,  I  have  discoursed,  as  became  an 
inquirer,  with  Protagoras  and  Democritus,  with  Anaxagoras  and 
Meton.  From  Herodotus  I  have  listened  to  the  most  instructive  his 
tory,  conveyed  in  a  language  the  most  copious  and  the  most  harmon 
ious  ;  a  man  worthy  to  carry  away  the  collected  suffrages  of  universal 
Greece;  a  man  worthy  to  throw  open  the  temples  of  Egypt,  and  to 
celebrate  the  exploits  of  Cyrus.  And  from  Thucydides,  who  alone  can 
succeed  to  him,  how  recently  did  my  Aspasia  hear  with  me  the  ener 
getic  praises  of  his  just  supremacy. 

As  if  the  festival  of  life  were  incomplete,  and  wanted  one  great  orna 
ment  to  crown  it,  Phidias  placed  before  us,  in  ivory  and  gold,  the 
tutelary  deity  of  his  land,  the  Zeus  of  Homer  and  Olympus. 
To  have  lived  with  such  men,  to  have  enjoyed  their  familiarity  and 
esteem,  overpays  all  labors  and  anxieties.  I  were  unworthy  of  the 


friendships  I  have  commemorated,  were  I  forgetful  of  the  latest, 
Sacred  it  ought  to  be,  formed  as  it  were  under  the  Portico  of  Death, 
my  friendship  with  the  most  sagacious,  the  most  scientific,  the  most 
beneficent  of  Philosophers,  Acron  and  Hippocrates.  If  mortal  could 
war  against  Pestilence  and  Destiny,  they  had  been  victorious.  I  leave 
them  in  the  field :  unfortunate  he  who  finds  them  among  the  fallen. 
C,  And  now  at  the  close  of  my  day,  when  every  light  is  dim  and  every 
guest  departed,  let  me  own  that  these  wane  before  me,  remembering, 
as  I  do  in  the  pride  and  fullness  of  my  heart,  that  Athens  confided  her 
glory  and  Aspasia  her  happiness,  to  me. 

Have  I  been  a  faithful  guardian  ?  Do  I  resign  them  to  the  custody  of 
the  gods  undiminished  and  unimpaired?  Welcome  then,  welcome, 
my  last  hour !  After  enjoying  for  so  great  a  number  of  years,  in  my 
public  and  private  life,  what  I  believe  has  never  been  the  lot  of  any 
other,  I  now  extend  my  hand  to  the  urn,  and  take  without  reluctance 
or  hesitation  that  which  is  the  lot  of  all. 

PERICLES  TO  ASPASIA. 

(WALTER  SAVAGE  LANDOR.) 


PERICLES 


|NCE  upon  a  day  there  was  a  grocer  who 
lived  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  The  gro 
cer's  name  being  Heinrich  Schliemann, 
his  nationality  can  be  inferred;  and  as 
for  pedigree,  it  is  enough  to  state  that 
his  ancestors  did  not  land  either  at 
Plymouth  or  Jamestown.  However,  he 
was  an  American  citizen. 
Now  this  grocer  made  much  monies,  for 
he  sold  groceries  as  were,  and  had  a 
feed  barn,  a  hay  scales,  a  somer  garten 
and  a  lunch  counter.  In  fact,  his  place 
of  business  was  just  the  kind  you  would 
expect  a  strenuous  man  by  the  name  of 
Schliemann  to  keep. 
Soon  Schliemann  had  men  on  the  road, 
and  they  sold  groceries  as  far  west  as 
Peoria  and  east  as  far  as  Xenia. 
Schliemann  grew  rich,  and  the  opening 
up  of  Schliemann's  Division,  where 
town  lots  were  sold  at  auction,  and  An 
heuser-Busch  played  an  important  part, 
helped  his  bank  balance  not  a  little. 
Schliemann  grew  rich:  and  the  gentle 
reader  being  clairvoyant,  now  sees 
Schliemann  weighed  on  his  own  hay 
scales — and  wanting  everything  in  sight 
—tipping  the  beam  at  part  of  a  ton.  The 
expectation  is,  that  Schliemann  will 


PERICLES 


evolve  into  a  large  oval  satrap,  grow  beautifully  boast 
ful  and  sublimely  reminiscent,  representing  his  Ward 
in  the  Common  Council  until  pudge  plus  prunes  him 
off  in  his  prime. 

But  this  time  the  reader  is  wrong:  Schliemann  was 
tall,  slender  and  reserved,  also  taciturn.  Groceries 
were  not  the  goal.  In  fact,  he  had  interests  outside  of 
Indianapolis,  that  few  knew  anything  about.  When 
Schliemann  was  thirty-eight  years  old  he  was  worth 
half  a  million  dollars;  and  instead  of  making  his  big 
business  still  bigger,  he  was  studying  Greek.  It  was  a 
woman  and  Eros  taught  Schliemann  Greek,  and  this 
was  so  letters  could  be  written — dictated  by  Eros, 
who  they  do  say  is  an  awful  dictator — that  would  not 
be  easily  construed  by  Hoosier  hoi  polloi.  Together  the 
woman  and  Schliemann  studied  the  history  of  Hellas. 
C, About  the  year  1868  Schliemann  turned  all  of  his 
Indiana  property  into  cash;  and  in  April,  1870,  he  was 
digging  in  the  hill  of  Hissarlik,  Troad.  The  same  fac 
ulty  of  thoroughness,  and  the  ability  to  captain  a  large 
business — managing  men  to  his  own  advantage,  and 
theirs — made  his  work  in  Greece  a  success.  Schlie- 
mann's  discoveries  at  Mt.  Athos,  Mycenae,  Ithaca 
and  Tiryns  turned  a  search-light  upon  prehistoric 
Hellas  and  revolutionized  prevailing  ideas  concerning 
the  rise  and  development  of  Greek  Art. 
His  Trojan  treasures  were  presented  to  the  city  of 
Berlin.  Had  Schliemann  given  his  priceless  findings 
to  Indianapolis,  it  would  have  made  that  city  a  Sacred 


PERICLES 


Mecca  for  all  the  western  world — set  it  apart,  and 
caused  James  Whitcomb  Riley  to  be  a  mere  side-show, 
inept,  inconsequent,  immaterial  and  insignificant.  But 
alas!  Indianapolis  never  knew  Schliemann  when  he 
lived  there — they  thought  he  was  a  Dutch  Grocer! 
And  all  the  honors  went  to  Benjamin  Harrison,  Gov 
ernor  Morton  and  Thomas  A.  Hendricks. 
If  the  Indiana  Novelists  would  cease  their  dalliance 
with  Dame  Fiction  and  turn  to  Truth,  writing  a  sim 
ple  record  of  the  life  of  Schliemann,  it  would  eclipse 
in  strangeness  all  the  Knighthoods  that  ever  were  in 
flower,  and  Ben  Hur  would  get  the  flag  in  his  Craw- 
fords  ville  chariot  race  for  fame. 

Berlin  gave  the  freedom  of  the  city  to  Schliemann; 
the  Emperor  of  Germany  bestowed  on  him  a  Knight 
hood;  the  University  voted  him  a  Ph.  D.;  Heidelberg 
made  him  a  D.C.L.;  and  St.  Petersburg  followed  with 
an  L.L.D. 

The  value  of  the  treasure,  now  in  the  Berlin  Museum, 
found  by  Schliemann,  exceeds  by  far  the  value  of  the 
Elgin  Marbles  in  the  British  Museum.  We  know,  and 
have  always  known,  who  built  the  Parthenon  and 
crowned  the  Acropolis;  but  not  until  Schliemann  had 
by  faith  and  good  works  removed  the  mountain  of 
Hissarlik,  did  we  know  that  the  Troy,  of  which  blind 
Homer  sang,  was  not  a  figment  of  the  poet's  brain. 
C,  Schliemann  showed  us  that  a  thousand  years  before 
the  age  of  Pericles  there  was  a  civilization  almost  as 
great.  Aye!  more  than  this — he  showed  us  that  the 


PERICLES 


ancient  city  of  Troy  was  built  upon  the  ruins  of  a  city 
that  throve  and  pulsed  with  life  and  pride,  a  thousand 
years  or  more  before  Thetis,  the  mother  of  Achilles, 
held  her  baby  by  the  heel  and  dipped  him  in  the  River 
Styx.  C»Schliemann  passed  to  the  realm  of  Shade  in 
1890,  and  is  buried  at  Athens,  in  the  Ceramicus,  in  a 
grave  excavated  by  his  own  hands  in  a  search  for 
the  grave  of  Pericles. 


PERICLES 


ERICLES  lived  nearly  twenty- 
five  centuries  ago.  The  years  of 
his  life  were  sixty-six — during  the 
last  thirty-one  of  which,  by  popu 
lar  acclaim,  he  was  the  "First 
Citizen  of  Athens." 
The  age  in  which  he  lived  is 
called  the  Age  of  Pericles. 
Shakespeare  died  less  than  three 
hundred  years  ago,  and  although  he  lived  in  a  writing 
age  and  every  decade  since  has  seen  a  plethora  of 
writing  men,  yet  writing  men  are  now  bandying  words 
as  to  whether  he  lived  at  all. 

Between  us  and  Pericles  lie  a  thousand  years  of  night, 
when  styli  were  stilled,  pens  forgotten,  chisels  thrown 
aside,  brushes  were  useless,  and  oratory  was  silent, 
dumb.  Yet  we  know  the  man  Pericles  quite  as  well  as 
the  popular  mind  knows  George  Washington  who 
lived  but  yesterday,  and  with  whom  myth  and  fable 
have  already  played  their  part. 

Thucydides,  a  contemporary  of  Pericles,  who  outlived 
him  nearly  half  a  century,  wrote  his  life.  Fortunately 
Thucydides  was  big  enough  himself  to  take  the  meas 
ure  of  a  great  man.  At  least  seven  other  contempora 
ries,  whose  works  we  have  in  part,  wrote  also  of  the 
First  Citizen. 

To  Plutarch  are  we  indebted  for  much  of  our  knowl 
edge  of  Pericles,  and  fortunately  we  are  in  position  to 
verify  most  of  Plutarch's  gossipy  chronicles.  C,The 


PERICLES 


vanishing  point  of  time  is  seen  in  that  Plutarch  refers 
to  Pericles  as  an  "ancient";  and  through  the  mist  of 
years  it  hardly  seems  possible  that  between  Plutarch 
and  Pericles  is  a  period  of  five  hundred  years. 
Plutarch  resided  in  Greece  when  Paul  was  at  Athens, 
Corinth  and  other  Grecian  cities.  Later  Plutarch  was 
at  Miletus,  about  the  time  St.  Paul  stopped  there  on 
his  way  to  Rome  to  be  tried  for  blasphemy — the  same 
offense  committed  by  Socrates,  and  a  sin  charged,  too, 
against  Pericles.  Nature  punishes  for  most  sins,  but 
sacrilege,  heresy  and  blasphemy  are  not  in  her  calen 
dar,  so  man  has  to  look  after  them.  Plutarch  visited 
Patmos  where  St.  John  was  exiled  and  where  he  wrote 
the  Book  of  Revelation.  Plutarch  was  also  at  "Malta 
by  the  Sea"  where  St.  Paul  was  shipwrecked,  but  so 
far  as  we  know,  he  never  heard  of  Paul  nor  of  Him  of 
whom,  upon  Mars  Hill,  Paul  preached.  C,Paul  bears 
testimony  that  at  Athens  the  people  spent  their  time 
in  nothing  else  but  either  to  tell  or  to  hear  some  new 
thing.  They  were  curious  as  children,  and  had  to  be 
diverted  and  amused.  They  were  the  same  people 
that  Pericles  had  diverted,  amused  and  used — used 
without  their  knowing  it,  five  hundred  years  before. 


PERICLES 


HE  gentle  and  dignified  Anaxago- 
ras,  who  abandoned  all  his  prop 
erty  to  the  state  that  he  might  be 
free  to  devote  himself  to  thought, 
was  the  first  and  best  teacher  of 
Pericles.  Under  his  tutorship — 
better,  the  companionship  of  this 
noble  man — Pericles  acquired  that 
sublime  self-restraint,  that  intel 
lectual  breadth,  that  freedom  from  superstition  which 
marked  his  character. 

Superstitions  are  ossified  metaphors  and  back  of  every 
religious  fallacy  lies  a  truth.  The  gods  of  Greece  were 
once  men  who  fought  their  valiant  fight  and  lived 
their  day;  the  supernatural  is  the  natural  not  yet 
understood — it  is  the  natural  seen  through  the  mist 
of  one,  two,  three,  ten  or  twenty-five  hundred  years 
when  things  loom  large  and  out  of  proportion — and 
all  these  things  were  plain  to  Pericles.  Yet  he  kept 
his  inmost  belief  to  himself,  and  let  the  mob  believe 
what  e'er  it  list.  Morley's  book  on  "Compromise" 
would  not  have  appealed  much  to  Pericles — his  an 
swer  would  have  been,  "A  man  must  do  what  he  can, 
and  not  what  he  would."  Yet  he  was  no  vulgar  dem 
agogue  truckling  to  the  caprices  of  mankind,  nor  was 
he  a  tyrant  who  pitted  his  will  against  the  many  and 
subdued  by  a  show  of  arms.  For  thirty  years  he  kept 
peace  at  home,  and  if  this  peace  was  once  or  twice 
cemented  by  an  insignificant  foreign  war,  he  proved 


8 PERICLES 

thereby  that  he  was  abreast  of  Napoleon  who  said, 
"The  cure  for  civil  dissension  is  war  abroad."  Peri 
cles  stands  alone  in  his  success  as  a  statesman.  It  was 
Thomas  Brackett  Reed,  I  believe,  who  said,  "  A  states 
man  is  a  politician  who  is  dead." 

And  this  is  a  sober  truth,  for,  to  reveal  the  statesman, 
perspective  is  required. 

Pericles  built  and  maintained  a  State,  and  he  did  it 
as  every  statesman  must,  by  recognizing  and  binding 
to  him  ability.  It  is  a  fine  thing  to  have  ability,  but 
the  ability  to  discover  ability  in  others  is  the  true  test. 
"While  Pericles  lived  there  also  lived  JEschylus,  Soph 
ocles,  Euripides,  Zeno,  Pythagoras,  Socrates,  Hero 
dotus,  Hippocrates,  Pindar,  Empedocles  and  Demo- 
critus.  Such  a  galaxy  of  stars  has  never  been  seen 
before  nor  since — unless  we  have  it  now — and  Peri 
cles  was  their  one  central  sun. 

Pericles  was  great  in  many  ways — great  as  an  orator, 
musician,  philosopher,  politician,  financier,  and  great 
and  wise  as  a  practical  leader.  Lovers  of  beauty  are 
apt  to  be  dreamers,  but  this  man  had  the  ability  to 
plan,  devise,  lay  out  work  and  carry  it  through  to 
a  successful  conclusion.  He  infused  others  with  his 
own  animation,  and  managed  to  set  a  whole  city  full 
of  lazy  people  building  a  temple  grander  far  in  its 
rich  simplicity  than  the  world  had  ever  seen.  By  his 
masterly  eloquence  and  the  magic  of  his  presence, 
Pericles  infused  the  Greeks  with  a  passion  for  beauty 
and  a  desire  to  create.  And  no  man  can  inspire  others 


PERICLES 


with  the  desire  to  create  who  has  not  taken  sacred 
fire  from  the  altar  of  the  gods.  The  creative  genius  is 
the  highest  gift  vouchsafed  to  man,  and  wherein  man 
is  likest  God.  The  desire  to  create  does  not  burn  the 
heart  of  the  serf  and  only  free  people  can  respond  to 
the  greatest  power  ever  given  to  any  First  Citizen. 
C,In  beautifying  the  city  there  was  a  necessity  for 
workers  in  stone,  brass,  iron,  ivory,  gold,  silver  and 
wood.  Six  thousand  of  the  citizens  were  under  daily 
pay  as  jurors,  to  be  called  upon  if  their  services  were 
needed;  most  of  the  other  male  adults  were  soldiers. 
Through  the  genius  of  Pericles  and  his  generals  these 
men  were  set  to  work  as  masons,  carpenters,  braziers, 
goldsmiths,  painters  and  sculptors.  Talent  was  dis 
covered  where  before  it  was  supposed  there  was 
none;  music  found  a  voice;  play-writers  discovered 
actors;  actors  found  an  audience;  and  philosophy  had 
a  hearing.  A  theatre  was  built,  carved  almost  out  of 
solid  stone,  that  seated  ten  thousand  people,  and  on 
the  stage  there  was  often  heard  a  chorus  of  a  thousand 
voices.  Physical  culture  developed  the  perfect  body  so 
that  the  Greek  forms  of  that  time  are  today  the  de 
spair  of  the  human  race.  The  recognition  of  the  sacred- 
ness  of  the  temple  of  the  soul  was  taught  as  a  duty;  and 
to  make  the  body  beautiful  by  right  exercise  and  by  right 
life  became  a  science.  The  sculptor  must  have  had  mod 
els  approaching  perfection,  and  the  exhibition  of  the 
sculptor's  work,  together  with  occasional  public  relig 
ious  processions  of  naked  youths  kept  before  the  peo- 


io PERICLES 

pie  ideals  superb  and  splendid.  4I,For  several  years 
everybody  worked,  carrying  stone,  hewing,  tugging, 
lifting,  carving.  Up  the  steep  road  that  led  to  the 
Acropolis  was  a  constant  procession  carrying  mate 
rials.  So  infused  was  everybody  and  everything  with 
the  work  that  a  story  is  told  of  a  certain  mule  that  had 
hauled  a  cart  in  the  endless  procession.  This  worthy 
•worker  "who  was  sustained  by  neither  pride  of  an 
cestry  nor  hope  of  posterity,"  finally  became  galled 
and  lame  and  was  turned  out  to  die.  But  the  mule  did 
not  die — nothing  dies  until  hope  dies.  That  mule 
pushed  his  way  back  into  the  throng  and  up  and  down 
he  went,  filled  and  comforted  with  the  thought  that 
he  was  doing  his  work — and  all  respected  him  and 
made  way.  If  this  story  was  invented  by  a  comic  poet 
of  the  time,  devised  by  an  enemy  of  Pericles,  we  see 
its  moral,  and  think  no  less  of  Pericles.  To  inspire  a 
mule  with  a  passion  for  work  and  loyalty  in  a  great 
cause  is  no  mean  thing.  C,So  richly  endowed  was  the 
character  of  Pericles  that  he  was  able  to  appreciate 
the  best  not  only  in  men,  but  in  literature,  painting, 
sculpture,  music,  architecture  and  life.  In  him  there 
was  as  near  a  perfect  harmony  as  we  have  ever  seen 
— in  him  all  the  various  lines  of  Greek  culture  united, 
and  we  get  the  perfect  man.  Under  the  right  condi 
tions  there  might  be  produced  a  race  of  such  men — 
but  such  a  race  never  lived  in  Greece  and  never  could. 
Greece  was  a  splendid  experiment.  Greece  was  God's 
finest  plaything — devised  to  show  what  He  could  do. 


PERICLES 


ii 


HAVE  sometimes  thought  that 
comeliness  of  feature  and  fine 
physical  proportions  were  a  hand 
icap  to  an  orator.  If  a  man  is  hand 
some,  it  is  quite  enough — let  him 
act  as  chairman  and  limit  his 
words  to  stating  the  pleasure  he 
has  in  introducing  the  speaker. 
No  man  in  a  full  dress  suit  can 
sway  a  thousand  people  to  mingle  mirth  and  tears, 
play  upon  their  emotions  and  make  them  remember 
the  things  they  have  forgotten,  drive  conviction  home, 
and  change  the  ideals  of  a  lifetime  in  an  hour.  The 
man  in  spotless  attire,  with  necktie  mathematically 
adjusted  is  an  usher.  If  too  much  attention  to  dress  is 
in  evidence,  we  at  once  conclude  that  the  attire  is 
first  in  importance  and  the  message  secondary. 
The  orator  is  a  man  we  hate,  fear,  or  love,  and  are 
curious  to  see.  His  raiment  is  incidental;  the  usher's 
clothes  are  vital.  The  attire  of  the  usher  may  reveal 
the  man — but  not  so  the  speaker.  If  our  first  impres 
sions  are  disappointing,  so  much  the  better,  provided 
the  man  is  a  man. 

The  best  thing  in  Winston  Churchill's  book,  "The 
Crisis,"  is  his  description  of  Lincoln's  speech  at  Free- 
port.  Churchill  got  that  description  from  a  man  who 
was  there.  Where  the  issue  was  great,  Lincoln  was 
always  at  first  a  disappointment.  His  unkempt  ap 
pearance,  his  awkwardness,  his  shrill  voice — these 


12 PERICLES 

things  made  people  laugh,  then  they  were  ashamed 
because  they  laughed,  then  they  pitied,  next  followed 
surprise,  and  before  they  knew  it,  they  were  being 
wrapped  'round  by  words  so  gracious,  so  fair,  so  con 
vincing,  so  free  from  prejudice,  so  earnest  and  so 
charged  with  soul  that  they  were  taken  captive,  bound 
hand  and  foot. 

Talmage,  who  knew  his  business,  used  to  work  this 
element  of  disappointment  as  an  art.  When  the  event 
was  important  and  he  wished  to  make  a  particularly 
good  impression,  he  would  begin  in  a  very  low,  sing 
song  voice,  and  in  a  monotonous  manner,  dealing  in 
trite  nothings  for  five  minutes  or  more.  His  angular 
form  would  seem  to  take  on  more  angles  and  his 
homely  face  would  grow  more  homely — if  it  were 
possible:  disappointment  would  spread  itself  over  the 
audience  like  a  fog;  people  would  settle  back  in  their 
pews,  sigh  and  determine  to  endure.  And  then  sud 
denly  the  speaker  would  glide  to  the  front,  his  great 
chest  would  fill,  his  immense  mouth  would  open  and 
there  would  leap  forth  a  sentence  like  a  thunderbolt. 
C, Visitors  at  "The  Temple,"  London,  will  recall  how 
Joseph  Parker  works  the  matter  of  surprise,  and  often 
piques  curiosity  by  beginning  his  sermon  to  two  thou 
sand  people  in  a  voice  that  is  just  above  a  whisper. 
C,One  of  the  most  impressive  orators  of  modern  times 
was  John  P.  Altgeld,  yet  to  those  who  heard  him  for 
the  first  time  his  appearance  was  always  a  disappoint 
ment.  Altgeld  was  so  earnest  and  sincere,  so  full  of 


PERICLES 13 

his  message  that  he  scorned  all  the  tricks  of  oratory, 
but  still  he  must  have  been  aware  that  his  insignifi 
cant  form  and  commonplace  appearance  were  a  per 
fect  foil  for  the  gloomy,  melancholy  and  foreboding 
note  of  earnestness  that  riveted  his  words  into  a  per 
fect  whole. 

Over  against  the  type  of  oratory  represented  by  Alt- 
geld,  America  has  produced  one  orator  who  fascinated 
first  by  his  personal  appearance,  next  exasperated  by 
his  imperturbable  calm,  then  disappointed  through  a 
reserve  that  nothing  could  baffle,  and  finally  won 
through  all  three,  more  than  by  his  message.  This 
man  was  Roscoe  Conkling,  he  of  the  Hyperion  curls 
and  Jove-like  front. 

The  chief  enemy  of  Conkling  (and  he  had  a  goodly 
list)  was  James  G.  Elaine,  who  once  said  of  him,  "He 
wins  like  Pericles  by  his  grand  and  god-like  manner 
— and  knows  it."  In  appearance  and  manner  Pericles 
and  Conkling  had  much  in  common,  but  there  the 
parallel  stops. 

Pericles  appeared  only  on  great  occasions.  We  are 
told  that  in  twenty  years  he  was  only  seen  on  the 
streets  of  Athens  once  a  year,  and  that  was  in  going 
from  his  house  to  the  Assembly  where  he  made  his 
annual  report  of  his  stewardship.  He  never  made 
himself  cheap.  His  speeches  were  prepared  with  great 
care  and  must  have  been  memorized.  Before  he  spoke 
he  prayed  the  gods  that  not  a  single  unworthy  word 
might  escape  his  lips.  We  are  told  that  his  manner 


14 PERICLES 

was  so  calm,  so  well  poised,  that  during  his  speech 
his  mantle  was  never  disarranged. 
In  his  speeches  Pericles  never  championed  an  unpop 
ular  cause — he  never  led  a  forlorn  hope — he  never 
flung  reasons  into  the  teeth  of  a  mob.  His  addresses 
were  the  orderly,  gracious  words  of  eulogy  and  con 
gratulation.  He  won  the  approval  of  his  constituents 
often  against  their  will  and  did  the  thing  he  wished  to 
do,  without  giving  offense.  Thucydides  says  his  words 
were  like  the  honey  of  Hymettus — persuasion  sat 
upon  his  lips. 

No  man  wins  his  greatest  fame  in  that  to  which  he 
has  given  most  of  his  time:  it 's  his  side  issue,  the 
thing  he  does  for  recreation,  his  heart's  play-spell,  that 
gives  him  immortality.  There  is  too  much  tension  in 
that  where  his  all  is  staked.  But  in  his  leisure  the 
pressure  is  removed,  his  heart  is  free  and  judg 
ment  may  for  the  time  take  a  back  seat — there  was 
where  Dean  Swift  picked  his  laurels.  Although  Peri 
cles  was  the  greatest  orator  of  his  day,  yet  his  busi 
ness  was  not  oratory.  Public  speaking  was  to  him 
merely  incidental  and  accidental.  He  doubtless  would 
have  avoided  it  if  he  could — he  was  a  man  of  affairs, 
a  leader  of  practical  men,  and  he  was  a  teacher.  He 
held  his  place  by  a  suavity,  gentleness  and  gracious 
show  of  reasons  unparalleled.  In  oratory  it  is  manner 
that  wins,  not  words.  One  virtue  Pericles  had  in  such 
generous  measure  that  the  world  yet  takes  note  of  it, 
and  that  is  his  patience.  If  interrupted  in  a  speech,  he 


PERICLES 


gave  way  and  never  answered  sharply,  nor  used  his 
position  to  the  other's  discomfiture.  In  his  speeches 
there  was  no  challenge,  no  vituperation,  no  irony,  no 
arraignment.  He  assumed  that  everybody  was  honest, 
everybody  just,  and  that  all  men  were  doing  what 
they  thought  was  best  for  themselves  and  others.  His 
enemies  were  not  rogues — simply  good  men  who  were 
temporarily  in  error.  He  impeached  no  man's  motives ; 
but  went  much  out  of  his  way  to  give  due  credit. 
On  one  occasion,  early  in  his  public  career,  he  was 
berated  by  a  bully  in  the  streets.  Pericles  made  no 
answer,  but  went  quietly  about  his  business.  The  man 
followed  him,  continuing  his  abuse,  followed  him  clear 
to  the  door  of  his  house.  It  being  dark,  Pericles  ordered 
one  of  his  servants  to  procure  a  torch,  light  the  man 
home  and  see  that  no  harm  befell  him. 
The  splendor  of  his  intellect  and  the  sublime  strength 
of  his  will  are  shown  in  that  small  things  did  not  dis 
tress  him.  He  was  building  the  Parthenon  and  mak 
ing  Athens  the  wonder  of  the  world :  this  was  enough. 


i6 


PERICLES 


HE  Greeks  at  their  best  were  bar 
barians;  at  their  worst,  slaves. 
The  average  intelligence  among 
them  was  low;  and  the  idea  that 
they  were  such  a  wonderful  peo 
ple  has  gained  a  foothold  simply 
because  they  are  so  far  off.  The 
miracle  of  it  all  is  that  such  sub 
limely  great  men  as  Pericles,  Phi 
dias,  Socrates  and  Anaxagoras  should  have  sprung 
from  such  a  barbaric  folk.  The  men  just  named  were  as 
exceptional  as  was  Shakespeare  in  the  reign  of  Eliza 
beth.  That  the  masses  had  small  appreciation  of  these 
men  is  proven  in  the  fact  that  Phidias  and  Anaxagoras 
died  in  prison,  probably  defeating  their  persecutors 
by  suicide.  Socrates  drank  the  cup  of  hemlock,  and 
Pericles,  the  one  man  who  had  made  Athens  immor 
tal,  barely  escaped  banishment  and  death  by  divert 
ing  attention  from  himself  to  a  foreign  war.  The  charge 
against  both  Pericles  and  Phidias  was  that  of  "sacri 
lege."  They  said  that  Pericles  and  Phidias  should  be 
punished  because  they  had  placed  their  pictures  on  a 
sacred  shield. 

Humanity's  job  lot  was  in  the  saddle,  and  sought  to 
wound  Pericles  by  attacking  his  dearest  friends,  so 
his  old  teacher,  Anaxagoras  was  made  to  die;  his  be 
loved  helper,  Phidias,  the  greatest  sculptor  the  world 
has  ever  known,  suffered  a  like  fate,  and  his  wife, 
Aspasia,  was  humiliated  by  being  dragged  to  a  public 


PERICLES 17 

trial  where  the  eloquence  of  Pericles  alone  saved  her 
from  a  malefactor's  death:  and  it  is  said  that  this  was 
the  only  time  when  Pericles  lost  his  "  Olympian  calm." 
C.The  son  of  Pericles  and  Aspasia  was  one  of  ten 
generals  executed  because  they  failed  to  win  a  certain 
battle.  The  scheme  of  beheading  unsuccessful  soldiers 
was  not  without  its  advantages,  and  in  some  ways  is 
to  be  commended,  but  the  plan  reveals  the  fact  that 
the  Greeks  had  so  little  faith  in  their  leaders  that  the 
threat  of  death  was  deemed  necessary  to  make  them 
do  their  duty.  This  son  of  Pericles  was  declared  ille 
gitimate  by  law;  another  law  was  passed  declaring 
him  legitimate;  and  finally  his  head  was  cut  off,  all 
as  duly  provided  in  the  statutes.  Does  n't  this  make 
us  wonder  what  this  world  would  have  been  without 
its  lawmakers?  The  particular  offense  of  Anaxagoras 
was  that  he  said  Jove  occasionally  sent  thunder  and 
lightning  with  no  thought  of  Athens  in  mind.  The 
same  subject  is  up  for  discussion  yet,  but  no  special 
penalty  is  provided  by  the  state  as  to  conclusions. 
C,The  citizens  of  Greece  in  the  time  of  Pericles  were 
given  over  to  two  things  which  were  enough  to  damn 
any  individual  and  any  nation — idleness  and  supersti 
tion.  The  drudgery  was  done  by  slaves:  the  idea  that 
a  free  citizen  should  work  was  preposterous:  to  be 
useful  was  a  disgrace.  For  a  time  Pericles  dissipated 
their  foolish  thought,  but  it  kept  cropping  out.  To 
speak  disrespectfully  of  the  gods  was  to  invite  death, 
and  the  philosophers  who  dared  discuss  the  powers 


if PERICLES 

of  nature  or  refer  to  a  natural  religion  were  only  safe 
through  the  fact  that  their  language  was  usually  so 
garlanded  with  the  flowers  of  poesy  that  the  people 
did  not  comprehend  its  import. 

Very  early  in  the  reign  of  Pericles  a  present  of  forty 
thousand  bushels  of  wheat  had  been  sent  from  the 
King  of  Egypt — at  least  it  was  called  a  present — 
probably  it  was  an  exacted  tribute.  This  wheat  was 
to  be  distributed  among  the  free  citizens  of  Athens, 
and  accordingly  when  the  cargo  arrived,  there  was  a 
fine  scramble  among  the  people  to  show  that  they 
were  free.  Everybody  produced  a  certificate  and  de 
manded  wheat. 

Some  time  before  this  Pericles  had  caused  a  law  to  be 
passed  providing  that  in  order  to  be  a  Citizen  a  man 
must  be  descended  from  a  father  and  mother  who 
were  both  Athenians.  This  law  was  aimed  directly  at 
Themistocles,  the  predecessor  of  Pericles,  whose 
mother  was  an  alien.  It  is  true  the  mother  of  Themis 
tocles  was  an  alien,  but  her  son  was  Themistocles. 
The  law  worked  and  Themistocles  was  declared  a 
bastardicus  and  banished. 

Before  unloading  our  triremes  of  wheat  let  the  fact  be 
stated  that  laws  aimed  at  individuals  are  apt  to  prove 
boomerangs.  "Thee  should  build  no  dark  cells,"  said 
Elizabeth  Fry  to  the  King  of  France,  "for  thy  children 
may  occupy  them."  Some  years  after  Pericles  had 
caused  this  law  to  be  passed  defining  citizenship,  he 
loved  a  woman  who  had  the  misfortune  to  be  born 


PERICLES 19 

at  Miletus.  According  to  his  own  law  the  marriage  of 
Pericles  to  this  woman  was  not  legal — she  was  only 
his  slave,  not  his  wife.  So  finally  Pericles  had  to  go 
before  the  people  and  ask  for  the  repeal  of  the  law 
that  he  had  made,  in  order  that  his  own  children  might 
be  made  legitimate.  Little  men  in  shovel  hats  and 
knee-breeches  who  hotly  fume  against  the  sin  of  a  man 
marrying  his  deceased  wife's  sister  are  usually  men 
whose  wives  are  not  deceased,  and  have  no  sisters. 
4LThe  wheat  arrived  at  the  Piraeus,  and  the  citizens 
jammed  the  docks.  The  slaves  wore  sleeveless  tunics. 
The  Greeks  were  not  much  given  to  that  absurd  plan 
of  cutting  off  heads — they  simply  cut  off  sleeves.  This 
meant  that  the  man  was  a  worker — the  rest  affected 
sleeves  so  long  that  they  could  not  work,  somewhat 
after  the  order  of  the  Chinese  nobility  who  wear  their 
fingernails  so  long  they  cannot  use  their  hands.  "To 
kill  a  bird  is  to  lose  it,"  said  Thoreau.  "To  kill  a  man 
is  to  lose  him,"  said  the  Greeks. 

"You  should  have  your  sleeves  cut  off,"  said  some  of 
the  citizens  to  others,  with  a  bit  of  acerbity,  as  they 
crowded  the  docks  for  their  wheat. 
The  talk  increased — it  became  louder. 
Finally  it  was  proposed  that  the  distribution  of  wheat 
should  be  deferred  until  every  man  had  proved  his 
pedigree. 
The  ayes  had  it. 

The  result  was  that  on  close  scrutiny  five  thousand 
supposed  citizens  had  a  blot  on  their  'scutcheon.  The 


20 PERICLES 

property  of  these  five  thousand  men  was  immediately 
confiscated  and  the  men  sold  into  slavery.  The  total 
number  of  free  men,  women  and  children  in  the  city 
of  Athens  was  about  seventy-five  thousand,  and  of 
slaves  or  helots  about  the  same,  making  the  total 
population  of  the  city  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand. 

"We  have  heard  so  much  of  "the  glory  that  was  Greece, 
and  the  grandeur  that  was  Rome,"  that  we  are,  at 
times,  apt  to  think  the  world  is  making  progress  back 
ward.  But  let  us  all  stand  erect  and  lift  up  our  hearts 
in  thankfulness  that  we  live  in  the  freest  country  the 
world  has  ever  known.  'Wisdom  is  not  monopolized 
by  a  few;  power  is  not  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  a 
tyrant;  knowledge  need  not  express  itself  in  cipher; 
to  work  is  no  longer  a  crime  or  a  disgrace. 
We  have  superstition  yet,  but  it  is  toothless:  we  can 
say  our  say  without  fear  of  losing  our  heads  or  sleeves. 
We  may  lose  a  few  customers,  and  some  subscribers 
may  cancel,  but  we  are  not  in  danger  of  banishment, 
and  that  attenuated  form  of  ostracism  which  consists 
in  neglecting  to  invite  the  offender  to  a  four-o'clock- 
tea,  has  no  terrors. 

Bigotry  is  abroad,  but  it  has  no  longer  the  power  to 
throttle  science;  the  empty  threat  of  future  punish 
ment  and  the  offer  of  reward,  are  nothing  to  us,  since 
we  perceive  they  are  offered  by  men  who  have  n't 
these  things  to  give.  The  idea  of  war  and  conquest  is 
held  by  many,  but  concerning  it  we  voice  our  thoughts 


PERICLES 


21 


and  write  our  views ;  and  the  fact  that  we  perceive  and 
point  out  what  we  believe  are  fallacies,  and  brand  the 
sins  of  idleness  and  extravagance,  is  proof  that  light  is 
breaking  in  the  East.  If  we  can  profit  by  the  good  that 
was  in  Greece  and  avoid  the  bad,  we  have  the  raw 
material  here,  if  properly  used,  to  make  her  glory  fade 
into  forgetfulness  by  comparison. 

Do  not  ask  that  the  days  of  Greece  shall  come  again 
— we  now  know  that  to  live  by  the  sword  is  to  die  by 
the  sword,  and  the  nation  that  builds  on  conquest 
builds  on  sand.  "We  want  no  splendor  fashioned  by 
slaves — no  labor  driven  by  the  lash,  nor  lured  on 
through  superstitious  threat  of  punishment  and  offer  of 
reward:  we  recognize  that  to  own  slaves  is  to  be  one. 
C,Ten  men  built  Athens — the  passion  for  beauty  that 
these  men  had  may  be  ours,  their  example  may  in 
spire  us,  but  to  live  their  lives — we  will  none  of  them ! 
Our  lives  are  better — the  best  time  the  world  has 
ever  seen  is  now;  and  a  better  yet  is  sure  to  be.  The 
night  is  past  and  gone — the  light  is  breaking  in  the  East. 


22 


PERICLES 


OMANHOOD  was  not  held  in 
high  esteem  in  Greece.  To  be 
sure,  barbaric  Sparta  made  a  bold 
stand  for  equality,  and  almost  in 
stituted  a  gynocracy,  but  the 
usual  idea  was  that  a  woman's 
opinion  was  not  worth  consider 
ing.  Hence  the  caricaturists  of  the 
day  made  sly  sport  of  the  love  of 
Pericles  and  Aspasia.  These  two  were  intellectual 
equals,  comrades,  and  that  all  of  Pericles'  public 
speeches  were  rehearsed  to  her,  as  his  enemies 
averred,  is  probably  true.  "Aspasia  has  no  time  for 
society;  she  is  busy  writing  a  speech  for  her  lord," 
said  Aristophanes.  Socrates  used  to  visit  Aspasia, 
and  he  gave  out  as  his  opinion  that  Aspasia  wrote  the 
sublime  ode  delivered  by  Pericles  on  the  occasion  of 
his  eulogy  on  the  Athenian  dead.  The  popular  mind 
could  not  possibly  comprehend  how  a  great  man  could 
defer  to  a  woman  in  important  matters,  and  she  be  at 
once  his  wife,  counselor,  comrade,  friend.  Socrates, 
who  had  been  taught  by  antithesis,  understood  it. 
The  best  minds  of  our  day  behold  that  Pericles  was  as 
sublimely  great  in  his  love  affairs  as  he  was  in  his 
work  as  architect  and  statesman.  Life  is  a  whole,  and 
every  man  works  his  love  up  into  life — his  life  is  re 
vealed  in  his  work,  and  his  love  is  mirrored  in  his  life. 
For  myself  I  cannot  see  why  the  Parthenon  may  not 
have  been  a  monument  to  a  great  and  sublime  pas- 


PERICLES 23 

sion,  and  the  statue  of  Athena,  its  chief  ornament,  be 
the  sacred  symbol  of  a  great  woman  greatly  loved. 
C.So  far  as  can  be  found,  the  term  of  "courtesan"  ap 
plied  by  the  mob  to  Aspasia,  came  from  the  fact  that 
she  was  not  legally  married  to  Pericles,  and  for  no 
other  reason.   That   their  union  was   not   legal  was 
owing  to  the  simple  fact  that  Pericles,  early  in  his 
career,  had  caused  a  law  to  be  passed  making  mar 
riage  between  an  Athenian  and  an  alien  morganatic: 
very  much  as  in  England,  for  a  time,  the  children  of  a 
marriage  where  one  parent  was  a  Catholic  and  the 
other  Protestant  were  declared  by  the  state  to  be  ille 
gitimate.  The  act  of  Pericles  in  spreading  a  net  for 
his  rival  and  getting  caught  in  it  himself,  is  a  beautiful 
example  of  the  truth  of  a  bucolic  maxim,  "Chickens 
most  generally  come  home  to  roost." 
Thucydides  says  that  for  thirty  years  Pericles  never 
dined  away  from   home   but   once.   He  kept   out   of 
crowds,  and  was  very  seldom  seen  at  public  gather 
ings.  The  idea  held  by  many  was  that  a  man  who  thus 
preferred  his  home  and  the  society  of  a  woman,  was 
either  silly  or  bad,  or  both.  Socrates,  for  instance, 
never  went  home  as  long  as  there  was  any  other  place 
to  go,  which  reminds  us  of  a  certain  American  states 
man  who  met  a  friend  on  the  street,  the  hour  being 
near  midnight.  "Where  are  you  going,  Bill?"  asked 
the  statesman.  "Home,"  said  Bill.  "What!"  said  the 
statesman,  "have  n't  you  any  place  to  go ? "  The  Athe 
nian  men  spent  their  spare  time  in  the  streets  and 


PERICLES 


market  places — this  was  to  them  what  the  daily  paper 
is  to  us. 

In  his  home  life  Pericles  was  simple,  unpretentious 
and  free  from  all  extravagance.  No  charge  could  ever 
be  brought  against  him  that  he  was  wasting  the  pub 
lic  money  for  himself — the  beauty  he  materialized 
was  for  all.  He  held  no  court,  had  no  carriages,  equi 
page,  nor  guards;  "wore  no  insignia  of  office,  and  had 
no  title  save  that  of  "First  Citizen"  given  him  by  the 
people.  He  is  the  supreme  type  of  a  man  who,  though 
holding  no  public  office,  yet  ruled  like  a  monarch 
and  best  of  all,  ruled  his  own  spirit.  There  is  no 
government  so  near  perfect  as  that  of  an  absolute 
monarchy — where  the  monarch  is  wise  and  just. 


PERICLES 


REECE  is  a  beautiful  dream. 
Dreams  do  not  endure,  yet  they 
are  a  part  of  life  no  less  than  the 
practical  deeds  of  the  day.  The 
glory  of  Greece  could  not  last;  its 
limit  was  thirty  years — one  gen 
eration.  The  splendor  of  Athens 
was  built  on  tribute  and  conquest, 
and  the  lesson  of  it  all  lies  in  this: 
For  thirty  years  Pericles  turned  the  revenues  of  war 
into  art,  beauty  and  usefulness. 

England  spent  more  in  her  vain  efforts  to  subjugate 
two  little  South  African  republics  than  Pericles  spent 
in  making  Athens  the  Wonder  of  the  World.  If  Cham 
berlain  and  Salisbury  had  been  the  avatars  of  Pericles 
and  Phidias,  they  would  have  used  the  nine  hundred 
millions  of  dollars  wasted  in  South  Africa,  and  the  ser 
vices  of  those  three  hundred  thousand  men,  and  done 
in  England,  aye!  or  done  in  South  Africa,  a  work  of 
harmony  and  undying  beauty  such  as  this  tired  earth 
had  not  seen  since  Phidias  wrought  and  Pindar  sang. 
C,And  another  thing,  the  thirty  thousand  Englishmen 
sacrificed  to  the  God  of  War,  and  the  ten  thousand 
Boers,  dead  in  a  struggle  for  what  they  thought  was 
right,  would  now  nearly  all  be  alive  and  well,  rejoic 
ing  in  the  contemplation  of  a  harmony  unparalleled 
and  unsurpassed. 

During  the  last  year  the  United  States  has  appropri 
ated  four  hundred  million  dollars  for  war  and  war 


PERICLES 


apparatus.  Since  1897  we  have  expended  about  three 
times  the  sum  named  for  war  and  waste.  If  there  had 
been  among  us  a  Pericles  who  could  have  used  this 
vast  treasure  in  irrigating  the  lands  of  the  West  and 
building  Manual  Training  Schools  where  boys  and 
girls  would  be  taught  to  do  useful  work  and  make 
beautiful  things,  we  could  have  made  ancient  Greece 
pale  into  forgetfulness  beside  the  beauty  we  would 
manifest. 

When  Pericles  came  into  power  there  was  a  union  of 
the  Greek  states,  formed  with  intent  to  stand  against 
Persia,  the  common  foe.  A  treasure  had  been  accum 
ulated  at  Delos  by  Themistocles,  the  predecessor  of 
Pericles,  to  use  in  case  of  emergency. 
The  ambition  of  Themistocles  was  to  make  Greece 
commercially  supreme.  She  must  be  the  one  maritime 
power  of  the  world.  All  the  outlying  islands  of  the 
JEgean  Sea  were  pouring  their  tithes  into  Athens  and 
Delos  that  they  might  have  protection  from  the  threat 
ening  hordes  of  Persia. 

Pericles  saw  that  war  was  not  imminent,  and  under 
the  excuse  of  increased  safety  he  got  the  accumulated 
treasure  moved  from  Delos  to  Athens.  The  amount  of 
this  emergency  fund,  to  us,  would  be  insignificant  —  a 
mere  matter  of  say  two  million  dollars.  Pericles  used 
this  money,  or  a  portion  of  it  at  least,  for  beautifying 
Athens,  and  he  did  his  wondrous  work  by  maintain 
ing  a  moderate  war  tax  in  a  time  of  peace,  using  the 
revenue  for  something  better  than  destruction  and 


PERICLES 


27 


vaunting  pride.  C,But  Pericles  could  not  forever  hold 
out  against  the  mob  at  Athens,  and  the  hordes  abroad. 
He  might  have  held  the  hordes  at  bay,  but  disloyalty 
struck  at  him  at  home— his  best  helpers  were  sacri 
ficed  to  superstition— his  beloved  helper  Phidias  was 
dead.  War  came— the  population  from  the  country 
flocked  within  the  walls  of  Athens  for  protection.  The 
pent  up  people  grew  restless,  sick— pestilence  fol 
lowed  and  in  ministering  to  their  needs,  trying  to  in 
fuse  courage  into  his  whimpering  countrymen,  bearing 
up  under  the  disloyalty  of  his  own  sons,  planning  to 
meet  the  lesser  foe  without,  Pericles  grew  a-weary, 
nature  flagged,  and  he  was  dead. 

From  his  death  dates  the  decline  of  Greece— she  has 
been  twenty-five  centuries  dying  and  is  not  dead  even 
yet.  To  Greece  we  go  for  consolation,  and  in  her  arm 
less  and  headless  marbles  we  see  the  perfect  type  of 
what  men  and  women  yet  may  be.  Copies  of  her 
Winged  Victory  are  upon  ten  thousand  pedestals 
pointing  us  the  way. 

England  has  her  Chamberlain,  Salisbury,  Lord  Bobs, 
Buller  and  Kitchener;  America  has  her  rough  riders 
who  bawl  and  boast,  her  financiers,  and  her  promo 
ters.  In  every  city  of  America  there  is  a  Themistocles 
who  can  organize  a  Trust  of  Delos  and  make  the  out 
lying  islands  pay  tithes  and  tribute  through  an  indirect 
tax  on  this  and  that.  In  times  of  alleged  danger  all 
Kansas  flock  to  arms  and  offer  their  lives  in  the  inter 
est  of  outraged  humanity. 


128 PERICLES 

These  things  are  well,  but  where  is  the  Pericles  who 
can  inspire  men  to  give  in  times  of  peace  what  all  are 
willing  to  give  in  the  delirium  of  war — that  is  to  say, 
themselves? 

We  can  funstonize  men  into  fighting  machines;  we 
can  set  half  a  nation  licking  stamps  for  strife;  but 
where  is  the  Pericles  who  can  infuse  the  populace 
into  paving  streets,  building  good  roads,  planting 
trees,  constructing  waterways  across  desert  sands, 
and  crowning  each  rock-ribbed  hill  with  a  temple 
consecrated  to  Love  and  Beauty!  We  take  our  mules 
from  their  free  prairies,  huddle  them  in  foul  transports 
and  send  them  across  wide  oceans  to  bleach  their 
bones  upon  the  burning  veldt;  but  where  is  the  man 
who  can  inspire  our  mules  with  a  passion  to  do  their 
work,  add  their  mite  to  building  a  temple  and  follow 
the  procession  unled,  undriven — with  neither  curb 
nor  lash — happy  in  the  fond  idea  that  they  are  a  part 
of  all  the  seething  life  that  throbs,  pulses  and  works 
for  a  Universal  Good! 

England  is  today  a  country  tied  with  crepe.  On  the 
lintels  of  her  door-posts  there  linger  yet  the  marks  of 
sprinkled  blood;  the  guttural  hurrahs  of  her  corona 
tion  are  mostly  evoked  by  beer;  behind  it  all  are  fears 
and  tears  and  a  sorrow  that  will  not  be  comforted. 
4L"I  never  caused  a  single  Athenian  to  wear  mourn 
ing,"  truthfully  said  Pericles  with  his  dying  breath. 
Can  the  present  prime  ministers  of  earth  say  as  much? 
That  is  the  kind  of  leader  America  most  needs  today 


PERICLES 


29 


— a  man  -who  can  do  his  work  and  make  no  man, 
"woman  or  child  wear  crepe. 

The  time  is  ripe  for  him — we  await  his  coming. 
We  are  sick  of  plutocrats  who  struggle  and  scheme 
but  for  themselves:  we  turn  with  loathing  from  the 
concrete  selfishness  of  Newport  and  Saratoga;  the 
clatter  of  arms  and  the  blare  of  battle  trumpets  in 
time  of  peace  is  hideous  to  our  ears — we  want  no 
wealth  gained  from  conquest  and  strife. 
Ours  is  the  richest  country  the  world  has  ever  known 
—  Greece  was  beggar  compared  with  Iowa  and  Illi 
nois,  where  nothing  but  honest  effort  is  making  small 
cities  great.  But  we  need  a  Pericles  who  shall  inspire 
us  to  work  for  truth,  harmony  and  beauty,  a  beauty 
wrought  for  ourselves  and  a  love  that  shall  perform 
such  miracles  that  they  will  minister  to  the  millions 
yet  unborn.  We  need  a  Pericles!  We  need  a  Pericles! 


SO  HERE  ENDETH  THE  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HOME 
OF  PERICLES,  AS  WRITTEN  BY  ELBERT  HUBBARD : 
THE  TITLE  PAGE  AND  INITIALS  BEING  DESIGNED 
BY  SAMUEL  WARNER  &  THE  WHOLE  DONE  INTO  A 
PRINTED  BOOK  BY  THE  ROYCROFTERS  AT  THEIR 
SHOP,  WHICH  IS  IN  EAST  AURORA,  ERIE  COUNTY,  NEW 
YORK,  IN  JANUARY,  OF  THE  YEAR  MCMIII  444444 


R.  RICHARD  LE  GALLIENNE  proposes 
to  issue  early  in  1903,  a  rendering  in  verse  of 
Odes  fnom  Che  Divan  of  Hafiz, 

which,  as  in  the  case  of  his  paraphrase  of 
OMAR  KHAYYAM,  he  has  made  from  literal  prose  ver 
sions  of  the  poet,  supplemented  by  his  own  fancy.  While 
he  has  kept  as  closely  as  he  deems  necessary  to  his  orig 
inal,  his  aim,  as  before,  has  been  to  make  English  poetry 
—  rather  than  a  joyless  shadow  of  a  great  classic.  He 
offers  this  rendering,  in  the  first  place  as  poetry,  in  the 
second  as  translation;  but,  at  the  same  time,  his  aim  has 
been,  as  faithfully  as  in  him  lies,  truly  to  interpret  the 
great  Persian  poet  to  English  readers,  so  that  the  total 
result  of  his  endeavours  is  really — if  not  literally — Hafiz. 
C^The  book,  which  will  be  finely  produced,  will  be  pri 
vately  issued  in  a  very  limited  edition,  namely:  Three 
hundred  copies  on  small  paper,  in  octavo  size,  at  fifteen 
dollars  net  each,  and  thirty-five  copies  on  large  paper, 
in  small  folio  size,  at  twenty-five  dollars  net  each. 
C,  Orders  should  be  sent  direct  to  ID*.  Richard  Lc  Gal- 
licnnc  at  The  Scbuylen,  59  Ulcst  45tb  St.,  Hcio  Yonk  City; 
and  a  full  prospectus,  containing  A  SPECIMEN  ODE,  will 
be  sent  on  application. 


THAT  PORTRAIT 


Of  STEVENSON  by  our  MR.  SAMUEL 
WARNER  has  received  high  praise  from 
several  Gentle  Folk  who  knew  Master 
Robert  Louis  in  life,  and  also  from  vari 
ous  of  the  Discerning  who  love  the  man 
because  he  voiced  so  many  beautiful 
things  that  we  might  have  voiced  for 
ourselves  had  we  the  mind. 
We  have  a  few  Artist  Proofs  of  this  pic 
ture,  size  10x14,  framed  Roycroftie  in 
Antique  Oak,  forming  a  takement  that  is 
a  Discreet  and  Delectable  ornament  for 
any  library.  We  will  disconnect  ourselves 
from  these  portraits,  while  they  last,  for 
five  dollars  each — sent  to  the  Faithful 
on  suspicion.  A  postal  card  will  fetch  it. 


THE   ROYCROFTERS 

EAST      AURORA,       NEW      YORK 


The    New    York   Speciel 

ISTHE     FINE     NEW     TRAIN     OP     THE 

MICHIGAN  (CENTRAL 

"The  Niagara  Falls  Route." 

between  Chicago  and  Detroit  and  Buffalo,  New  York  and  Boston. 
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O.    W.    RUGGLES, 

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By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 


Volumes  VI,  VII,  VIII,  IX,  X   and  XI— New   Series 


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IN   THE 


Slmertran 
of  Jmmortate 


a>0llat0— No  further  dues 
or  assessments,  and  no  liabilities.  Your 
duties  consist  in  living  up  to  your  Ideal 
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ADDRESS    THE    BURSAR,    EAST    AURORA,    NEW    YORK 


ftittlt 

TO  THE  HOMES  OF  EMINENT  ORATORS 

MARK   ANTONY 


Vol.  XII.  FEBRUARY,  1903.  No.  2 


By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 


Single  Copies,  25  cents  By  the  Year,  $3.00 


LITTLE   JOURNEYS 

BY     ELBERT     HUBBARD      FOR 

1903     WILL     BE     TO     THE     HOMES      OF 

EMINENT    ORATORS 

SUBJECTS  AS  FOLLOWS: 

1  Pericles  7  Mirabeau 

2  Mark  Antony  8  Robert  Ingersoll 

3  Savonarola  9  John  Randolph 

4  Martin  Luther  10  Thomas  Starr  King 

5  Edmund  Burke  11  Henry  Ward  Beecher 

6  William  Pitt  12  Wendell  Phillips 


One  booklet  a  month  will  be  issued  as  usual,  beginning  on 

January  1st. 

The  LITTLE  JOURNEYS  for  1903  will  be  strictly  de  luxe  in 

form  and  workmanship.  The  type  will  be  a  new  font  of  antique 

blackface;   the  initials  designed  especially  for  this  work;    a 

frontispiece  portrait  from  the  original  drawing  made  at  our 

Shop  in  each  on  Japan  Vellum.  The  booklets  will  be  stitched 

by  hand  with  silk. 

The  price — 25  cents  each,  or  $3.00  for  the  year. 

Address    THE    ROYCROFTERS     at    their 
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Entered  at  the  postoffice  at  East  Aurora,  New  York,  for  transmission 
as    second-class    mail    matter.  Copyright,    1902,   by    Elbert    Hubbard. 


Furnaces  &  Furnace  Heating 

have  a  mighty  bad  name 
in  a  great  many  towns  in 
our  country,  and  cheap 
furnaces  and  cheap  fur 
nace  work  is  responsible 
for  it.  A  furnace  of  qual 
ity  can  be  installed  just  as 
scientifically  as  steam  or 
hot  water,  and  warm  circ- 
ulatingair — pure  and  fresh 
— supplied,  which  is  infin 
itely  superior  to  heating 
the  air  in  the  rooms  over 
and  over  with  radiators. 
We  make  the  Round  Oak 
furnace — we  make  it  just 
as  good  as  we  do  the  fa 
mous  Round  Oak  stove. 
Economy  of  fuel,  dura- 
V  bility,  tremendous  heating 

power,  perfect  control  of  the  fire,  perfect  workmanship,  any 
kind  of  fuel,  are  the  qualities  that  distinguish  the  Round  Oak 
furnace.  But  they  amount  to  little  if  the  furnace  is  not  prop 
erly  installed. 

Round  Oak  furnace  methods  comprehend  advanced  ideas  in 
furnace  heating  for  residence  work.  Costs  a  trifle  more  to  carry 
them  out,  perhaps,  but  they  are  best  and  cheapest  for  the  user. 
We  make  furnace  plans  free  of  expense  to  our  Customers. 
If  interested  in  a  good  furnace  and  good  furnace  work,  write  us. 
Our  furnace  book,  "Warmth  and  Comfort,"  sent  on  request. 

Estate   of   P.  D.  BECKWITH,   Dowagiac,  Mich. 

MAKERS   OF   GOOD   GOODS   ONLY 


DID  YOU  EVER  KNOW 

That  Improper  Food  Often 
Causes  the  Liquor  Habit? 

It 's  a  great  proposition  to  get  rid  of  a  taste  for  liquos  by  changing 
food. 

"About  three  years  ago,"  writes  a  man  from  Lowry  City,  Mo.,  "my 
appetite  failed  me  and  my  food  disagreed  with  me.  I  got  weak  and 
nervous  and  felt  dull  and  entirely  unfit  for  business  ;  then  like  a  fool 
I  went  to  taking  liquor  to  stimulate  an  appetite.  For  a  time  that 
seemed  to  help  and  I  congratulated  myself  on  finding  so  simple  a 
remedy.  But,  alas  !  I  had  to  take  more  and  more  all  the  time  until  I 
got  so  that  I  could  not  get  along  without  the  whisky,  and  I  was  in  a 
pitiable  condition. 

"  I  tried  to  quit  but  that  seemed  impossible,  as  I  needed  nourishment 
and  my  stomach  rejected  food,  and  the  more  whisky  I  drank  the 
worse  I  got.  I  kept  fighting  this  battle  for  more  than  two  years  and 
almost  gave  up  all  hope. 

"  I  noticed  an  advertisement  of  Grape-Nuts  in  the  paper  and  con 
cluded  to  try  it.  I  found  I  could  eat  Grape-Nuts  with  a  relish  and  it 
was  the  first  food  that  I  found  nourished  me  in  a  long  time.  Soon  my 
stomach  trouble  stopped,  my  appetite  increased,  the  craving  thirst 
relaxed  until  all  desire  for  drink  was  gone.  I  have  used  Grape-Nuts 
constantly  for  over  a  year  and  I  am  now  strong  and  robust ;  entirely 
cured  from  drink  and  able  to  work  hard  every  day.  My  gratitude  for 
Grape-Nuts  is  unspeakable  as  it  has  saved  my  life  and  reputation." 
Name  given  by  Postum  Co.,  Battle  Creek,  Mich. 


Little 
3cunneys 

To  the  Homes  of 

[EMINENT 
IORATORS 


CUnittcn  by  El  be  ft  t 
Hubband  &  done 
into  a  Book  by  the 
Roycnoftersattbe 
Shop,  tobieb  is  in 
East  Jiuttotta,  Heio 
Yoitk,  H.  D.  1903 


T  is  not  long,  my  Antony,  since,  with  these  hands,  I 
buried  thee.  Alas !  they  were  then  free,  but  thy  Cleopatra 
is  now  a  prisoner,  attended  by  guard,  lest,  in  the  trans 
ports  of  her  grief,  she  should  disfigure  this  captive  body, 
which  is  reserved  to  adorn  the  triumph  over  thee.  These 
are  the  last  offerings,  the  last  honors  she  can  pay  thee;  for  she  is  now 
to  be  conveyed  to  a  distant  country.  Nothing  could  part  us  while  we 
lived,  but  in  death  we  are  to  be  divided.  Thou,  though  a  Roman,  liest 
buried  in  Egypt;  and  I,  an  Egyptian,  must  be  interred  in  Italy,  the 
only  favor  I  shall  receive  from  thy  country.  Yet,  if  the  Gods  of  Rome 
have  power  or  mercy  left,  (for  surely  those  of  Egypt  have  forsaken 
us)  let  them  not  suffer  me  to  be  led  in  living  triumph  to  thy  dis 
grace!  No!  hide  me,  hide  me  with  thee  in  the  grave;  for  life,  since 
thou  hast  left  it,  has  been  misery  to  me.  PLUTARCH. 


MARK    ANTONY 


|HE  sole  surviving  daughter  of  the  great 
King  Ptolemy  of  Egypt,  Cleopatra,  was 
seventeen  years  old  when  her  father 
died  jf  jf 

By  his  will  the   King  made  her  joint 
heir   to   the   throne   with   her    brother 
Ptolemy,  several  years  her  junior.  And 
according  to  the  custom,  not   unusual 
among  royalty  at  that  time,  it  was  pro 
vided  that  Ptolemy  should  become  the 
husband  of  Cleopatra. 
She  was  a  woman — her  brother  a  child. 
Q  She  had  intellect,  ambition,  talent. 
She  knew  the  history  of  her  own  coun 
try,  and  that  of  Assyria,   Greece  and 
Rome;  and  all  the  written  languages  of 
the  world  were  to  her  familiar.  She  had 
been  educated  by  the  philosophers,  who 
had  brought  from  Greece  the  science  of 
Pythagoras  and  Plato.  Her  companions 
had  been  men — not  women,  or  nurses, 
or  pious,  pedantic  priests. 
Through  the  veins  of  her  young  body 
pulsed  and  leaped  life  plus. 
She  abhorred  the  thought  of  an  alliance 
with   her   weak-chinned  brother;   and 
the  ministers  of  state  who   suggested 
another    husband,    as   a    compromise, 
were  dismissed  with  a  look.  They  said 


32 MARK    ANTONY 

she    was    intractable,    contemptuous,    unreasonable, 
and   was   scheming   for  the   sole   possession   of  the 
throne.  She  was  not  to  be  diverted  even  by  ardent 
courtiers  who  were  sent  to  her,  and  who  lay  in  wait 
ready  with  amorous  sighs — she  scorned  them  all. 
Yet  she  was  a  woman  still,  and  in  her  dreams  she 
saw  the  coming  prince. 
She  was  banished  from  Alexandria. 
A  few  friends  followed  her,  and  an  army  was  formed 
to  force  from  the  enemy  her  rights. 
But  other  things  were  happening — a   Roman  army 
came  leisurely  drifting  in  with  the  tide  and  disem 
barked  at  Alexandria.  The  Great  Caesar  himself  was 
in  command — a  mere  holiday,  he  said.  He  had  in 
tended  to  join  the  land  forces  of  Mark  Antony  and 
help  crush  the  rebellious  Pompey,  but  Antony  had 
done  the  trick  alone,  and  only  a  few  days  before  word 
had  come  that  Pompey  was  dead. 

Caesar  knew  that  civil  war  was  on  in  Alexandria,  and 
being  near  he  sailed  slowly  in,  sending  messengers 
ahead  warning  both  sides  to  lay  down  their  arms. 
Q  With  him  was  the  far-famed  invincible  Tenth 
Legion  that  had  ravished  Gaul.  Caesar  wanted  to  rest 
his  men  and,  incidentally,  to  reward  them.  They  took 
possession  of  the  city  without  a  blow. 
Cleopatra's  troops  laid  down  their  arms,  but  Ptolemy's 
refused.  They  were  simply  chased  beyond  the  walls, 
and  their  punishment  for  a  time  deferred. 
Caesar  took  possession  of  the  palace  of  the  King,  and 


MARK     ANTONY 33 

his  soldiers  accommodated  themselves  in  the  houses, 
public  buildings  and  temples  as  best  they  could. 
Cleopatra  asked  for  a  personal  interview  so  to  present 
her  cause.  Caesar  declined  to  meet  her — he  understood 
the  trouble — many  such  cases  he  had  seen.  Claimants 
for  thrones  were  not  new  to  him.  Where  two  parties 
quarrelled  both  are  right — or  wrong— it  really  mat 
tered  little.  It  is  absurd  to  quarrel — still  more  foolish 
to  fight.  Caesar  was  a  man  of  peace,  and  to  keep  the 
peace  he  would  appoint  one  of  his  generals  governor, 
and  make  Egypt  a  Roman  colony.  In  the  meantime 
he  would  rest  a  week  or  two,  with  the  kind  permis 
sion  of  the  Alexandrians,  and  write  upon  his  "Com 
mentaries  " — no,  he  would  not  see  either  Cleopatra 
or  Ptolemy — any  information  desired  he  would  get 
through  his  trusted  emissaries. 

In  the  service  of  Cleopatra  was  a  Sicilian  slave  who 
had  been  her  personal  servant  since  she  was  a  little 
girl.  This  man's  name  was  Appolidorus — a  man  of 
giant  stature  and  imposing  mien.  Ten  years  before 
his  tongue  had  been  torn  out  as  a  token  that  as  he 
was  to  attend  a  queen  he  should  tell  no  secrets. 
Appolidorus  had  but  one  thought  in  life,  and  that  was 
to  defend  his  gracious  queen.  He  slept  at  the  door  of 
Cleopatra's  tent,  a  naked  sword  at  his  side,  held  in 
his  clenched  and  brawny  hand. 

And  now  behold  at  dusk  of  day  the  grim  and  silent 
Appolidorus,  carrying  upon  his  giant  shoulders  a  large 
and  curious  rug,  rolled  up  and  tied  'round  at  either 


34 MARK    ANTONY 

end  with  ropes.  He  approaches  the  palace  of  the 
King,  and  at  the  guarded  gate  hands  a  note  to  the 
officer  in  charge.  This  note  gives  information  to  the 
effect  that  a  certain  patrician  citizen  of  Alexandria, 
being  glad  that  the  gracious  Caesar  had  deigned  to 
visit  Egypt,  sends  him  the  richest  rug  that  can  be 
woven,  done,  in  fact,  by  his  wife  and  daughters  and 
held  against  this  day,  awaiting  Rome's  greatest  son. 
Q  The  officer  reads  the  note,  and  orders  a  soldier  to 
accept  the  gift  and  carry  it  within — presents  were 
constantly  arriving.  A  sign  from  the  dumb  giant  makes 
the  soldier  stand  back — the  present  is  for  Caesar  and 
can  be  delivered  only  in  person.  "Lead  and  I  will  fol 
low,"  were  the  words  done  in  stern  pantomime. 
The  officer  laughs,  sends  the  note  inside,  and  the 
messenger  soon  returning,  signifies  that  the  present  is 
acceptable  and  the  slave  bearing  it  shall  be  shown  in. 
Appolidorus  shifts  his  burden  to  the  other  shoulder, 
and  follows  the  soldier  through  the  gate,  up  the  mar 
ble  steps  along  the  splendid  hallway  lighted  by  flaring 
torches  and  lined  with  reclining  Roman  soldiers. 
At  a  door  they  pause  an  instant,  there  is  a  whispered 
word — they  enter. 

The  room  is  furnished  as  becomes  the  room  that  is 
the  private  library  of  the  King  of  Egypt.  In  one 
corner,  seated  at  the  table,  pen  in  hand,  sits  a  man  of 
middle  age,  pale,  clean  shaven,  with  hair  close- 
cropped.  His  dress  is  not  that  of  a  soldier — it  is  the 
flowing  white  robe  of  a  Roman  Priest.  Only  one  ser- 


MARK    ANTONY 35 

vant  attends  this  man,  a  secretary,  seated  near,  who 

rises  and  explains  that  the  present  is  acceptable  and 

shall  be  deposited  on  the  floor. 

The  pale  man  at  the  table  looks  up,  smiles  a  tired 

smile  and  murmurs  in  a  perfunctory  way  his  thanks. 

Q  Appolidorus  having  laid  his  burden   on  the  floor, 

kneels  to  untie  the  ropes. 

The  secretary  explains  that  he  need  not  trouble,  pray 

bear  thanks  and  again  thanks  to  his  master — he  need 

not  tarry ! 

The  dumb  man  on  his  knees  neither  hears  nor  heeds. 

The  rug  is  unrolled. 

From  out  the  roll  a  woman  leaps  lightly  to  her  feet 

a  beautiful  young  woman  of  twenty. 
She  stands  there,  poised,  defiant,  gazing  at  the  pale- 
faced  man  seated  at  the  table. 

He  is  not  surprised — he  never  was.  One  might  have 
supposed  he  received  all  his  visitors  in  this  manner. 
Q  "  Well?"  he  says  in  a  quiet  way,  a  half  smile  part 
ing  his  thin  lips. 

The  woman's  breast  heaves  with  tumultuous  emotion 
— just  an  instant.  She  speaks,  and  there  is  no  tremor 
in  her  tones.  Her  voice  is  low,  smooth,  and  scarcely 
audible:  "I  am  Cleopatra." 

The  man  at  the  desk  lays  down  his  pen,  leans  back 
and  gently  nods  his  head,  as  much  as  to  say,  indul 
gently,  "Yes,  my  child,  I  hear— go  on!" 
"I  am  Cleopatra,  Queen  of  Egypt,  and  I  would  speak 
with  thee   alone."  Q  She   paused;   then   raising  one 


MARK    ANTONY 


jeweled  arm  motions  to  Appolidorus  that  he  shall 
withdraw.  With  a  similar  motion,  the  man  at  the 
desk  signifies  the  same  to  his  astonished  secretary. 

##&&###### 
Appolidorus  went  down  the  long  hallway,  down  the 
stone  steps  and  waited  at  the  outer  gate  amid  the 
throng  of  soldiers.  They  questioned  him,  gibed  him, 
railed  at  him,  but  they  got  no  word  in  reply. 
He  waited — he  waited  an  hour,  two — and  then  came 
a  messenger  with  a  note  written  on  a  slip  of  parch 
ment.  The  words  ran  thus:  "Well  beloved  'Dorus: 
Veni,  vidi,  vici!  Go  fetch  my  maids,  also  all  of  our 
personal  belongings." 


MARK    ANTONY 


37 


TANDING  alone  by  the  slashed 
and  stiffened  corpse  of  Julius 
Caesar,  Mark  Antony  says: 

Thou  art  the  ruins  of  the  noblest  man 
That  ever  lived  in  the  tide  of  times. 

Caesar  had  two  qualities  that  mark 
the  man  of  supreme  power:  he 
was  gentle  and  he  was  firm. 
To  be  gentle,  generous,  lenient, 
forgiving,  and  yet  never  relinquish  the  vital  thing— 
this  is  to  be  great. 

To  know  when  to  be  generous,  and  when  firm — this 
is  wisdom. 

The  first  requisite  in  ruling  others  is  to  rule  one's 
own  spirit. 

The  suavity,  moderation,  dignity  and  wise  diplomacy 
of  Caesar  led  him  by  sure  and  safe  steps  from  a  lowly 
clerkship  to  positions  of  gradually  increasing  respon 
sibility.  At  thirty-seven  he  was  elected  Pontifex  Max- 
imus — the  head  of  the  State  Religion. 
Between  Pagan  Rome  and  Christian  Paganism  there 
is  small  choice — all  State  religions  are  very  much 
alike.  Caesar  was  Pope:  and  no  State  religion  since 
his  time  has  been  an  improvement  on  that  of  Caesar. 
Q  In  his  habits  Caesar  was  ascetic — a  scholar  by  nature. 
He  was  tall,  slender,  and  in  countenance  sad.  For  the 
intellect  nature  had  given  him,  she  had  taken  toll  by 
cheating  him  in  form  and  feature.  He  was  deliberate, 
and  of  few  words— he  listened  in  a  way  that  always  first 


38 MARK    ANTONY 

complimented  the  speaker  and  then  disconcerted  him. 
Q  By  birth  he  was  a  noble,  and  by  adoption  one  of  the 
people.  He  was  both  plebeian  and  patrician. 
His  military  experience  had  been  but  slight,  though 
creditable,  and  his  public  addresses  were  so  few  that 
no  one  claimed  he  was  an  orator.  He  had  done  noth 
ing  of  special  importance  and  yet  the  feeling  was 
everywhere  that  he  was  the  greatest  man  in  Rome. 
The  nobles  feared  him,  trembling  at  thought  of  his 
displeasure.  The  people  loved  him — he  called  them, 
"My  children." 

Caesar  was  head  of  the  Church,  but  politically  there 
were  two  other  strong  leaders  in  Rome,  Pompey  and 
Crassus.  These  two  men  were  rich,  and  each  was  the 
head  of  a  large  number  of  followers  whom  he  had 
armed  as  militia  "for  the  defense  of  State."  Caesar 
was  poor  in  purse  and  could  not  meet  them  in  their 
own  way  even  if  so  inclined.  He  saw  the  danger  of 
these  rival  factions — strife  between  them  was  immi 
nent — street  fights  were  common,  and  it  would  only 
require  a  spark  to  ignite  the  tinder. 
Caesar  the  Pontiff — the  man  of  peace — saw  a  way  to 
secure  safety  for  the  State  from  these  two  men  who 
had  armed  their  rival  legions  to  protect  it. 
To  secure  this  end  he  would  crush  them  both. 
The  natural  way  to  do  this  would  have  been  to  join 
forces  with  the  party  he  deemed  the  stronger,  and 
down  the  opposition.  But  this  done  the  leader  with 
whom  he  had  joined  forces  would  still  have  to  be 


MARK    ANTONY 39 

dealt  with.  Q  Caesar  made  peace  between  Pompey  and 
Crassus  by  joining  with  them,  forming  a  Triumvirate. 
Q  This  was  one  of  the  greatest  strokes  of  statecraft 
ever  devised.  It  made  peace  at  home — averted  civil 
war — cemented  rival  factions. 

When  three  men  join  forces,  make  no  mistake,  power 
is  never  equally  divided. 

Before  the  piping  times  of  peace  could  pall,  a  foreign 
war  diverted  attention  from  approaching  difficulties 
at  home. 

The  Gauls  were  threatening — they  were  always 
threatening — war  could  be  had  with  them  any  time 
by  just  pushing  out  upon  them.  To  the  south,  Sicily, 
Greece,  Persia  and  Egypt  had  been  exploited — fame 
and  empire  lay  in  the  dim  and  unknown  North. 
Only  a  Caesar  could  have  known  this.  He  had  his  col 
leagues  make  him  governor  of  Gaul.  Gaul  was  a 
troublesome  place  to  be,  and  they  were  quite  willing 
he  should  go  there.  For  a  priest  to  go  among  the 
fighting  Gauls — they  smiled  and  stroked  their  chins! 
Gaul  had  definite  boundaries  on  the  South — the  Rubi 
con  marked  the  line — but  on  the  North  it  was  without 
limit.  Real  estate  owners  own  as  high  in  the  air  and 
as  deep  in  the  earth  as  they  wish  to  go.  Caesar  alone 
guessed  the  greatness  of  Gaul. 

Under  pretense  of  protecting  Rome  from  a  threatened 
invasion  he  secured  the  strongest  legions  of  Pompey 
and  Crassus.  Combining  them  into  one  army  he  led 
them  northward  to  such  conquest  and  victory  as 


40 MARK     ANTONY 

the  world  had  never  seen  before.  Q  It  is  not  for  me  to 
tell  the  history  of  Caesar's  Gallic  wars.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  in  eight  years  he  had  penetrated  what  is  now 
Switzerland,  France,  Germany  and  England.  Every 
where  he  left  monuments  of  his  greatness  in  the  way 
of  splendid  highways,  baths,  aqueducts  and  temples. 
Colonies  of  settlers  from  the  packed  population  of 
Rome  followed  the  victors. 

An  army  left  to  itself  after  conquest  will  settle  down 
to  riot  and  mad  surfeit,  but  this  man  kept  his  forces 
strong  by  keeping  them  at  work — discipline  was  never 
relaxed,  yet  there  was  such  kindness  and  care  for  his 
men  that  no  mutiny  ever  made  head. 
Caesar  became  immensely  rich — his  debts  were  now 
all  paid — the  treasure  returned  to  Rome  did  the  gen 
eral  coffers  fill,  his  name  and  fame  were  blazoned  on 
the  Roman  streets. 

When  he  returned  he  knew,  and  had  always  known, 
it  would  be  as  a  conquering  hero.  Pompey  and  Cras- 
sus  did  not  wish  Caesar  to  return.  He  was  still  gov 
ernor  of  Gaul  and  should  stay  there.  They  made  him 
governor — he  must  do  as  they  required — they  sent 
him  his  orders. 

"The  die  is  cast,"  said  Caesar  on  reading  the  message. 
Immediately  he  crossed  the  Rubicon. 
An  army  fights  for  a  leader,  not  a  cause.  The  leader's 
cause  is  theirs.  Caesar  had  led  his  men  to  victory,  and 
he  had  done  it  with  a  comparatively  small  degree  of 
danger.  He  never  made  an  attack  until  every  expedient 


MARK    ANTONY 41 

for  peace  was  exhausted.  He  sent  word  to  each  bar 
baric  tribe  to  come  in  and  be  lovingly  annexed,  or 
else  be  annexed  willy  nilly.  He  won,  but  through 
diplomacy  where  it  was  possible.  When  he  did  strike, 
it  was  quickly,  unexpectedly  and  hard.  The  priest  was 
as  great  a  strategist  as  a  diplomat.  He  pardoned  his 
opposers  when  they  would  lay  down  their  arms — he 
wanted  success  not  vengeance.  But  always  he  gave 
his  soldiers  the  credit. 
They  were  loyal  to  him. 

Pompey  and  Crassus  could  not  oppose  a  man  like  this 
— they  fled. 

Caesar's  most  faithful  and  trusted  colleague  was  Mark 
Antony,  seventeen  years  his  junior — a  slashing,  dash 
ing,  audacious,  exuberant  fellow. 

Caesar  became  dictator,  really  king  or  emperor.  He 
ruled  with  moderation,  wisely  and  well.  He  wore  the 
purple  robe  of  authority,  but  refused  the  crown.  He 
was  honored,  revered,  beloved.  The  habit  of  the  Pon 
tiff  still  clung  to  him — he  called  the  people,  "My 
children." 

The  imperturbable  calm  of  the  man  of  God  was  upon 
him — his  courage   was  unimpeachable,  but  caution 
preserved  him  from  personal  strife.   That  he  could 
ever  be  approached  by  one  and  all  was  his  pride. 
But  clouds  were  beginning  to  gather. 
He  had  pardoned  his  enemies,  but  they  had  not  for 
given  him, 
There  were  whisperings  that  he  was  getting  ready  to 


42 MARK    ANTONY 

assume  the  office  of  emperor.  At  a  certain  parade 
when  Csesar  sat  upon  the  raised  seat,  reviewing  the 
passing  procession,  Mark  Antony,  the  exuberant,  left 
his  place  in  the  ranks,  and  climbing  to  the  platform 
had  tried  to  crown  his  beloved  leader  with  laurel. 
Csesar  had  smilingly  declined  the  honor,  amid  the 
plaudits  of  the  crowd. 

Some  said  this  whole  episode  was  planned  to  test  the 
temper  of  the  populace. 

Another  cause  of  offense  was  that  some  time  before, 
Caesar  had  spent  several  months  at  Alexandria  at  the 
court  of  Cleopatra.  And  now  the  young  and  beautiful 
queen  had  arrived  in  Rome,  and  Caesar  had  appeared 
with  her  at  public  gatherings.  She  had  with  her  a  boy, 
two  years  old,  by  name  Csesario. 

This  Egyptian  child,  said  the  conspirators,  was  to  be 
the  future  Emperor  of  Rome.  To  meet  this  accusation 
Caesar  made  his  will  and  provided  that  his  grand- 
nephew,  Oclavius  Caesar,  should  be  his  adopted  son 
and  heir.  But  this  was  declared  a  ruse. 
The  murmurings  grew  louder. 

Sixty  senators  combined  to  assassinate  Caesar — the 
high  position  of  these  men  made  them  safe — by 
standing  together  they  would  be  secure. 
Caesar  was  warned,  but  declined  to  take  the  matter 
seriously.  He  neither  would  arm  himself  nor  allow 
guards  to  attend  him. 

On  the  isth  of  March,  44  B.  C.,  as  Csesar  entered  the 
Senate  the  rebels  crowded  upon  him  under  the  pre- 


MARK    ANTONY 


43 


tense  of  handing  him  a  petition,  and  at  a  sign  fell 
upon  him.  Twenty-three  of  the  conspirators  got  close 
enough  to  send  their  envious  daggers  home. 
Brutus  dipped  his  sword  in  the  flowing  blood,  and 
waving  the  weapon  aloft  cried,  "Liberty  is  restored!  " 
Q  Two  days  later,  Mark  Antony  standing  by  the  dead 
body  of  his  beloved  chief,  sadly  mused: 

Thou  art  the  ruins  of  the  noblest  man 
That  ever  lived  in  the  tide  of  times. 


44 


MARK     ANTONY 


died  aged  fifty-six.  Mark 
Antony,  his  executor,  occupying 
the  office  next  in  importance,  was 
thirty-nine. 

In  point  of  physique  Antony  far 
surpassed  Caesar:  they  were  the 
same  height,  but  Antony  was  he 
roic  in  stature  and  carriage,  mus 
cular  and  athletic.  His  face  was 
comely — his  nose  large  and  straight,  his  eyes  set 
wide  apart;  his  manner  martial.  If  he  lacked  in  intel 
lect,  in  appearance  he  held  averages  good. 
Antony  had  occupied  the  high  offices  of  questor  and 
tribune,  the  first  calling  for  literary  ability,  the  second 
for  that  of  an  orator.  Csesar,  the  wise  and  diplomatic, 
had  chosen  Mark  Antony  as  his  Secretary  of  State  on 
account  of  his  peculiar  fitness,  especially  in  repre 
senting  the  Government  at  public  functions.  Antony 
had  a  handsome  presence,  a  gracious  tongue,  and 
was  a  skilled  and  ready  writer.  Csesar  himself  was  too 
great  a  man  to  be  much  in  evidence. 
In  passing  it  is  well  to  note  that  all  the  tales  as  to  the 
dissipation  and  profligacy  of  Mark  Antony  in  his  early 
days  come  from  the  " Philippics"  of  Cicero,  who 
made  the  mistake  of  executing  Lentulus,  the  step 
father  of  Mark  Antony,  and  then  felt  called  upon  for 
ever  after  to  condemn  the  entire  family.  "Philippics' 
are  always  a  form  of  self-vindication. 
However  it  need  not  be  put  forward  that  Mark  Antony 


MARK     ANTONY 45 

•was  a  paragon  of  virtue  —  a  man  who  has  been  suc 
cessively  and  successfully  soldier,  politician,  lawyer, 
judge,  rhetorician,  and  diplomat  is  what  he  is. 
Rome  was  the  ruler  of  the  world:  Csesar  was  the  un 
disputed  greatest  man  of  Rome:  and  Mark  Antony 
was  the  right  hand  of  Csesar. 

At  the  decisive  battle  of  Pharsalia,  Caesar  had  chosen 
Mark  Antony  to  lead  the  left  wing  while  he  himself 
led  the  right.  More  than  once  Mark  Antony  had 
stopped  the  Roman  army  in  its  flight  and  had  turned 
defeat  into  victory.  In  the  battle  with  Aristobulus  he 
was  the  first  to  scale  the  wall. 

His  personal  valor  was  beyond  cavil — he  had  distin 
guished  himself  in  every  battle  in  which  he  had 
taken  part. 

It  was  the  first  intent  of  the  conspirators  that  Caesar 
and  Antony  should  die  together,  but  the  fear  was  that 
the  envious  hate  of  the  people  toward  Caesar  would 
be  neutralized  by  the  love  the  soldiers  bore  both  Caesar 
and  Antony.  So  they  counted  on  the  cupidity  and  am 
bition  of  Antony  to  keep  the  soldiers  in  subjection. 
Q  Antony  was  kept  out  of  the  plot,  and  when  the 
blow  was  struck  he  was  detained  at  his  office  by  pre 
tended  visitors  who  wanted  a  hearing. 
When  news  came  to  him  that  Caesar  was  dead,  he 
fled,  thinking  that  massacre  would  follow.  But  the  next 
day  he  returned  and  held  audience  with  the  rebels. 
Q  Antony  was  too  close  a  follower  of  Caesar  to  depart 
from  his  methods.  Naturally  he  was  hasty  and  impul- 


46 MARK    ANTONY 

sive,  but  now,  everything  he  did  was  in  imitation  of 
the  great  man  he  had  loved. 

Caesar  always  pardoned.  Antony  listened  to  the  argu 
ment  of  Brutus  that  Caesar  had  been  removed  for  the 
good  of  Rome.  Brutus  proposed  that  Antony  should 
fill  Caesar's  place  as  Consul  or  nominal  dilator;  and 
in  return  Brutus  and  Cassius  were  to  be  made  gover 
nors  of  certain  provinces — amnesty  was  to  be  given 
to  all  who  were  in  the  plot. 

Antony  agreed,  and  at  once  the  Assembly  was  called 
and  a  law  passed  tendering  pardon  to  all  concerned 
— thus  was  civil  war  averted.  Caesar  was  dead,  but 
Rome  was  safe. 

The  funeral  of  Caesar  was  to  occur  the  next  day.  It 
was  to  be  the  funeral  of  a  private  citizen — the  honor 
of  a  public  funeral  pyre  was  not  to  be  his.  Brutus 
would  say  a  few  words,  and  Antony,  as  the  closest 
friend  of  the  dead,  would  also  speak — the  body  would 
be  buried  and  all  would  go  on  in  peace. 
Antony  had  done  what  he  had  because  it  was  the  only 
thing  he  could  do.  To  be  successor  of  Caesar  filled  his 
ambition  to  the  brim — but  to  win  the  purple  by  a  com 
promise  with  the  murderers!  It  turned  his  soul  to  gall. 
Q  At  the  funeral  of  Caesar  the  Forum  was  crowded 
to  every  corner  with  a  subdued,  dejected,  breathless 
throng.  People  spoke  in  whispers — no  one  felt  safe — 
the  air  was  stifled  and  poisoned  with  fear  and  fever. 
Q  Brutus  spoke  first:  we  do  not  know  his  exact  words, 
but  we  know  the  temper  of  the  man,  and  his  mental 


MARK     ANTONY 47 

attitude.  Q  Mark  Antony  had  kept  the  peace,  but  if  he 
could  only  feel  that  the  people  were  with  him  he 
would  drive  the  sixty  plotting  conspirators  before 
him  like  chaff  before  the  whirlwind. 
He  would  then  be  Caesar's  successor  because  he  had 
avenged  his  death. 

The  orator  must  show  no  passion  until  he  has  aroused 
passion  in  the  hearer — oratory  is  a  collaboration.  The 
orator  is  the  active  principle — the  audience  the  passive. 
Q  Mark  Antony,  the  practiced  orator,  begins  with 
simple  propositions  to  which  all  agree.  Gradually  he 
sends  out  quivering  feelers — the  response  returns — 
he  continues,  the  audience  answers  back,  he  plays 
upon  their  emotion,  and  soon  only  one  mind  is 
supreme,  and  that  is  his  own. 

We  know  what  he  did  and  how  he  did  it,  but  his 
words  are  lost.  Shakespeare,  the  man  of  imagination, 
supplies  them. 

The  plotters  have  made  their  defense— it  is  accepted. 
Q  Antony,  too,  defends  them— he  repeats  that  they 
are  honorable  men,  and  to  reiterate  that  a  man  is 
honorable  is  to  admit  that  possibly  he  is  not.  The  act 
of  defense  implies  guilt — and  to  turn  defense  into 
accusation  through  pity  and  love  for  the  one  wronged 
is  the  supreme  task  of  oratory. 

From  love  of  Caesar  to  hate  for  Brutus  and  Cassius  is 
but  a  step — panic  takes  the  place  of  confidence  among 
the  conspirators — they  slink  away.  The  spirit  of  the 
mob  is  uppermost — the  only  honor  left  to  Caesar  is 


MARK    ANTONY 


the  funeral  pyre.  Benches  are  torn  up,  windows  pulled 

from  their  fastenings,  every  available  combustible  is 

added  to  the  pile,  and  the  body  of  Caesar — he  alone 

calm  and  untroubled  amid  all  this  mad  mob — is  placed 

upon  this  improvised  throne  of  death.  Torches  flare 

and  the  pile  is  soon  in  flames. 

Night  comes  on,  and  the  same  torches  that  touched 

to  red  the  funeral  couch  of  Caesar,  hunt  out  the  houses 

of  the  conspirators  who  killed  him. 

But  the  conspirators  have  fled. 

One  man  is  supreme,  and  that  man  is  Mark  Antony. 


MARK    ANTONY 


49 


O  maintain  a  high  position  requires 
the  skill  of  a  harlequin.  It  is  an 
abnormality  that  any  man  should 
long  tower  above  his  fellows. 
For  a  few  short  weeks  Mark  An 
tony  was  the  pride  and  pet  of 
Rome.  He  gave  fetes,  contests, 
processions  and  entertainments 
of  lavish  kind.  "These  things  are 
pleasant,  but  they  have  to  be  paid  for,"  said  Cicero. 
Q  Then  came  from  Illyria,  Ocflavius  Caesar,  aged  nine 
teen,  the  adopted  son  of  Caesar  the  Great,  and  claimed 
his  patrimony. 

Antony  laughed  at  the  stripling,  and  thought  to  bribe 
him  with  a  fete  in  his  honor  and  a  promise,  and  in  the 
meantime  a  clerkship  where  there  was  no  work  to 
speak  of  and  pay  in  inverse  ratio. 
The  boy  was  weak  in  body  and  commonplace  in  mind 

in  Way  of  culture  he  had  been  overtrained— but  he 

was  stubborn. 

Mark  Antony  lived  so  much  on  the  surface  of  things, 
that  he  never  imagined  there  was  a  strong  party  push 
ing  the  "Young  Augustus"  forward. 
Finally  Antony  became  impatient  with  the  importun 
ing  young  man,  and  threatened  to  send  him  on  his 
way  with  a  guard  at  his  heels  to  see  that  he  did  not 
return  jf  & 

At  once  a  storm  broke  over  the  head  of  Antony— it 
came  from  a  seemingly  clear  sky— Antony  had  to  flee, 


50 MARK     ANTONY 

not  Oclavius.  Q  The  soldiers  of  the  Great  Caesar  had 
been  remembered  in  his  will  with  seventy-five  drach 
mas  to  every  man,  and  the  will  must  stand  or  fall  as 
an  entirety.  Caesar  had  provided  that  Octavius  should 
be  his  successor — this  will  must  be  respected.  Cicero 
was  the  man  who  made  the  argument.  The  army  was 
with  the  will  of  the  dead  man,  rather  than  the  ambi 
tion  of  the  living. 

Antony  fled,  but  gathered  a  goodly  army  as  he  went, 
intending  to  return. 

After  some  months  of  hard  times  passion  cooled,  and 
Antony,  Octavius  and  Lepidus,  the  chief  general  of 
Oclavius,  met  in  the  field  for  consultation.  Swayed  by 
the  eloquence  of  Antony  who  was  still  full  of  the 
precedents  of  the  Great  Caesar,  a  Triumvirate  was 
formed,  and  Antony,  Octavius  and  Lepidus  coolly  sat 
down  to  divide  the  world  between  them. 
One  strong  argument  that  Antony  used  for  the  neces 
sity  of  this  partnership  was,  that  Brutus  and  Cassius 
were  just  across  in  Macedonia,  waiting  and  watching 
for  the  time  when  civil  war  would  so  weaken  Rome 
that  they  could  step  in  and  claim  their  own. 
Brutus  and  his  fellow  conspirators  must  be  punished. 
Q  In  two  years  from  that  time,  they  had  performed 
their  murderous  deed;  Cassius  was  killed  at  his  own 
request  by  his  servant,  and  Brutus  had  fallen  on  his 
sword  to  escape  the  sword  of  Mark  Antony. 
In  the  stress  of  defeat  and  impending  calamity,  Mark 
Antony  was  a  great  man:  he  could  endure  anything 


MARK    ANTONY 51 

but  success.  Q  But  now  there  were  no  more  enemies 
to  conquer:  unlike  Caesar  the  Great  he  was  no  scholar, 
so  books  were  not  a  solace:  to  build  up  and  beautify  a 
great  state  did  not  occur  to  him.  His  camp  was  turned 
into  a  place  of  mad  riot  and  disorder.  Harpers,  dan 
cers,  buffoons  and  all  the  sodden  splendor  of  the  East 
made  the  nights  echo  with  "shouts,  sacrifices,  songs 
and  groans." 

When  Antony  entered  Ephesus  the  women  went  out 
to  meet  him  in  the  undress  of  bacchanals,  troops  of 
naked  boys  representing  cupids,  and  men  clothed  like 
satyrs  danced  before.  Everywhere  were  ivy  crowns, 
spears  wreathed  with  green,  and  harps,  flutes,  pipes, 
and  human  voices  sang  songs  of  praise  to  the  great 
god  Bacchus — for  such  Antony  liked  to  be  called. 
Q  Antony  knew  that  between  Cleopatra  and  Caesar 
there  had  been  a  tender  love.  All  the  world  that 
Csesar  ruled,  Antony  now  ruled — or  thought  he  did. 
In  the  intoxication  of  success  he  would,  too,  rule  the 
heart  that  the  great  Csesar  had  ruled.  He  would  rule 
this  proud  heart  or  he  would  crush  it  beneath  his  heel. 
Q  He  despatched  Dellius,  his  trusted  secretary  to 
Alexandria  summoning  the  Queen  to  meet  him  at 
Cilicia,  and  give  answer  as  to  why  she  had  given  suc 
cor  to  the  army  of  Cassius. 

The  charge  was  preposterous,  and  if  sincere,  shows 
the  drunken  condition  of  Antony's  mind.  Cleopatra 
loved  Csesar — he  was  to  her  the  King  of  Kings,  the 
one  supreme  and  god-like  man  of  earth.  Her  studious 


52 MARK    ANTONY 

and  splendid  mind  had  matched  his  own — this  cold, 
scholarly  man  of  fifty-two  had  been  her  mate — the 
lover  of  her  soul.  Scarcely  five  short  years  before,  she 
had  attended  him  on  his  journey  as  he  went  away, 
and  there  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  as  they  parted, 
her  unborn  babe  responded  to  the  stress  of  parting, 
no  less  than  she. 

Afterward  she  had  followed  him  to  Rome  that  he 
might  see  his  son,  Caesario. 

She  was  in  Rome  when  Brutus  and  Cassius  struck 
their  fatal  blows,  and  had  fled,  disguised,  her  baby  in 
her  arms — refusing  to  trust  the  precious  life  in  the 
hands  of  hirelings. 

And  now  that  she  should  be  accused  of  giving  help  to 
the  murderer  of  her  joy!  She  had  execrated  and  de 
spised  Cassius,  and  now  she  hated,  no  less,  the  man 
who  had  wrongfully  accused  her. 

But  he  was  dictator — his  summons  must  be  obeyed. 
She  would  obey  it,  but  she  would  humiliate  him. 
Antony  waited  at  Cilicia  on  the  day  appointed,  but 
Cleopatra  did  not  appear.  He  waited  two  days — three 
— and  very  leisurely,  up  the  river,  the  galleys  of  Cleo 
patra  came. 

But  she  did  not  come  as  suppliant. 
The  curiously  carved  galley,  studded  with  nails  of 
gold;  the  oars  were  all  tipped  with  silver,  the  sails  of 
purple  silk.  The  rowers  kept  time  to  the  music  of 
flutes.  The  Queen  in  the  gauzy  dress  of  Venus  re 
clined  under  a  canopy,  fanned  by  Cupids.  Her  maids 


MARK     ANTONY 53 

were  dressed  like  the  Graces,  and  fragrance  of  burn 
ing  incense  diffused  the  shores. 

The  whole  city  went  down  the  river  to  meet  this  most 
gorgeous  pageant,  and  Antony  the  proud  was  left  at 
the  tribunal  alone. 

On  her  arrival  Cleopatra  sent  official  word  of  her 
presence.  Antony  sent  back  word  that  she  should 
come  to  him. 

She  responded  that  if  he  wished  to  see  her  he  should 
call  and  pay  his  respects. 

He  went  down  to  the  riverside  and  was  astonished  at 
the  dazzling,  twinkling  lights  and  all  the  magnificence 
that  his  eyes  beheld.  Very  soon  he  was  convinced 
that  in  elegance  and  magnificence  he  could  not  cope 
with  this  Egyptian  queen. 

The  personal  beauty  of  Cleopatra  was  not  great.  Many 
of  her  maids  outshone  her.  Her  power  lay  in  her  wit 
and  wondrous  mind.  She  adapted  herself  to  condi 
tions;  and  on  every  theme  and  topic  that  the  conver 
sation  might  take,  she  was  at  home. 
Her  voice  was  marvelously  musical,  and  was  so 
modulated  that  it  seemed  like  an  instrument  of  many 
strings.  She  spoke  all  languages,  and  therefore,  had 
no  use  for  interpreters. 

When  she  met  Antony  she  quickly  took  the  measure 
of  the  man.  She  fell  at  once  into  his  coarse  soldier 
ways,  and  answered  him  jest  for  jest. 
Antony  was  at  first  astonished,  then  subdued,  next 
entranced — a  woman  who  could  be  the  comrade  of  a 


54 


MARK    ANTONY 


man  she  had  never  seen  before!  She  had  the  intellect 
of  a  man  and  all  the  luscious  weaknesses  of  a  woman. 
Q  Cleopatra  had  come  hating  this  man  Antony,  and  to 
her  surprise  she  found  him  endurable — and  more. 
Besides  that,  she  had  cause  to  be  grateful  to  him — he 
had  destroyed  the  conspirators  who  had  killed  her 
Caesar — her  King  of  Kings. 

She  ordered  her  retinue  to  make  ready  to  return.  The 
prows  were  turned  toward  Alexandria;  and  aboard 
the  galley  of  the  Queen,  beneath  the  silken  canopy,  at 
the  feet  of  Cleopatra,  reclined  the  great  Mark  Antony. 


MARK     ANTONY 


55 


YRON  sums  the  subject  up  in  his 
masterly  phrase,  "man's  love  is 
of  his  life  a  thing  apart ;  't  is  wom 
an's  whole  existence,"  Still,  I  sup 
pose  it  will  not  be  disputed  that 
much  depends  upon  the  man  and 
— the  woman. 

In  this  instance  we  have  a  strong, 
willful,  ambitious  and  masculine 
man;  up  to  the  time  he  met  Cleopatra,  love  -was  of 
his  life  a  part;  after  this,  it  was  his  whole  existence. 
'When  they  first  met  there  at  Cilicia,  Antony  was 
past  forty,  she  was  twenty-five. 

Plutarch  tells  us  that  Fulvia,  the  wife  of  Antony,  an 
earnest  and  excellent  woman,  had  tried  to  discipline 
him.  The  result  was  that  instead  of  bringing  him  over 
to  her  way  of  thinking  she  had  separated  him  from  her. 
Q  Cleopatra  ruled  the  man  by  entwining  her  spirit  with 
his — mixing  the  very  fibers  of  their  being — fastening 
her  soul  to  his  with  hoops  of  steel.  She  became  a 
necessity  to  him — a  part  and  parcel  of  the  fabric  of 
his  life.  Together  they  attended  to  all  the  affairs  of 
state.  They  were  one  in  all  the  games  and  sports.  The 
exuberant  animal  spirits  of  Antony  occasionally  found 
vent  in  roaming  the  streets  of  Alexandria  at  dead  of 
night,  rushing  into  houses  and  pulling  people  out  of 
bed,  and  then  absconding  before  they  were  well  awake. 
In  these  nocturnal  pranks,  Cleopatra  often  attended 
him,  dressed  like  a  boy.  Once  they  both  got  well 


56 MARK    ANTONY 

pummeled,  and  deservedly,  but  they  stood  the  drub 
bing  rather  than  reveal  their  identity. 
The  story  of  their  fishing  together,  and  Antony  mak 
ing  all  the  catch  has  been  often  told.  He  had  a  skillful 
diver  go  down  every  now  and  then  and  place  a  fish  on 
his  hook.  Finally  when  he  grew  beautifully  boastful, 
as  successful  fishermen  are  apt  to  do,  Cleopatra  had 
her  diver  go  down  and  attach  a  large  Newfoundland 
salt  cod-fish  to  his  hook,  which  when  pulled  up  before 
the  company  turned  the  laugh,  and  in  the  guise  of 
jest  taught  the  man  a  useful  lesson.  Antony  should 
have  known  better  than  to  try  and  deceive  a  woman 
like  that — other  men  have  tried  it  before  and  since. 
Q  But  all  this  horse-play  was  not  to  the  higher  taste  of 
Cleopatra — with  Caesar,  she  would  never  have  done  it. 
Q  It  is  the  man  who  gives  the  key  to  conduct  in  mar 
riage,  not  the  woman;  the  partnership  is  successful 
only  as  a  woman  conforms  her  life  to  his.  If  she 
can  joyfully  mingle  her  life  with  his,  destiny  smiles  in 
benediction  and  they  become  necessary  to  each  other. 
If  she  grudgingly  gives,  conforming  outwardly,  with 
mental  reservations,  she  droops,  and  spirit  flagellates 
the  body  until  it  sickens,  dies.  If  she  holds  out  firmly 
upon  principle,  intent  on  preserving  her  individuality, 
the  man,  if  small,  sickens  and  dies;  if  great  he  finds 
companionship  elsewhere,  and  leaves  her  to  develop 
her  individuality  alone — which  she  never  does.  One  of 
three  things  happens  to  her:  she  dies,  lapses  into  nul 
lity,  or  finds  a  mate  whose  nature  is  sufficiently  like 


MARK     ANTONY 57 

her  own  that  they  can  blend.  Q  Cleopatra  was  a  greater 
woman,  far,  than  Antony  was  a  man.  But  she  con 
formed  her  life  to  his  and  counted  it  joy.  She  was 
capable  of  better  things,  but  she  waived  them  all,  as 
strong  women  do  and  have  done  since  the  world  be 
gan.  Love  is  woman's  whole  existence — sometimes. 
But  love  was  not  Cleopatra's  whole  existence,  any 
more  than  it  is  the  sole  existence  of  the  silken  Sara, 
her  prototype.  Cleopatra  loved  power  first,  afterward 
she  loved  love.  By  attaching  to  herself  a  man  of  power 
both  ambitions  were  realized. 

Two  years  had  gone  by,  and  Antony  still  remained  at 
Alexandria.  Importunities,  requests  and  orders  had 
all  failed  to  move  him  to  return.  The  days  passed  in 
the  routine  affairs  of  state,  hunting,  fishing,  excur 
sions,  fetes,  and  games.  Antony  and  Cleopatra  were 
not  separated  night  or  day. 

Suddenly  news  of  serious  import  came — Fulvia,  and 
Lucius,  the  brother  of  Antony,  had  rebelled  against 
Caesar  and  had  gathered  an  army  to  fight  him. 
Antony  was  sore  distressed,  and  started  at  once  to 
the  scene  of  the  difficulty.  Fulvia's  side  of  the  story 
was  never  told,  for  before  Antony  arrived  in  Italy  she 
was  dead. 

O<S*avius  Caesar  came  out  to  meet  Antony  and  they 
met  as  friends.  According  to  Caesar  the  whole  thing 
had  been  planned  by  Fulvia  as  a  scheme  to  lure  her 
lord  from  the  arms  of  Cleopatra.  And  anyway  the  plan 
had  worked.  The  Triumvirate  still  existed — although 


58 MARK    ANTONY 

Lepidus  had  practically  been  reduced  to  the  rank  of  a 
private  citizen. 

Antony  and  Caesar  would  now  rule  the  world  as  one, 
and  to  cement  the  bond  Antony  should  take  the  sister 
of  Oc5lavius  to  wife.  Knowing  full  well  the  relation 
ship  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  she  consented  to  the 
arrangement,  and  the  marriage  ceremony  was  duly 
performed. 

Antony  was  the  head  of  the  Roman  army  and  to  a 
great  degree  the  actual  ruler.  Power  was  too  equally 
divided  between  him  and  Caesar  for  either  to  be  happy 
— they  quarrelled  like  boys  at  play. 
Antony  was  restless,  uneasy,  impatient — Oclavia 
tried  to  keep  the  peace,  but  her  kindly  offices  only 
made  matters  worse. 

'War  broke  out  between  Rome  and  certain  tribes  in 
the  East,  and  Antony  took  the  field.  Odlavia  impor 
tuned  her  liege  that  she  might  attend  him,  and  he 
finally  consented.  She  went  as  far  as  Athens,  then 
across  to  Macedonia  and  here  Antony  sent  her  home 
to  her  brother  that  she  might  escape  the  dangers  of 
the  desert  4f  & 

Antony  followed  the  enemy  down  into  Syria;  and 
there  sent  for  Cleopatra  that  he  might  consult  with 
her  about  joining  the  forces  of  Egypt  with  those  of 
Rome  to  crush  the  barbarians. 

Cleopatra  came  on,  the  consultation  followed,  and  it 
was  decided  that  when  Caesar  the  Great — the  god 
like  man  -whose  memory  they  mutually  revered — 


MARK    ANTONY 


59 


said,  "  War  is  a  foolish  business,"  he  was  right.  They 
would  let  the  barbarians  slide — if  they  deserved  pun 
ishment,  the  gods  would  look  after  the  case.  If  the 
barbarians  did  not  need  punishment,  then  they  should 
go  free  &  jf 

Tents  were  struck,  pack  camels  were  loaded,  horses 
were  saddled,  and  the  caravan  started  for  Alexandria. 
By  the  side  of  the  camel  that  carried  the  queen,  quiet 
ly  stepped  the  proud  barb  that  bore  Mark  Antony. 


6o 


MARK    ANTONY 


OR  fourteen  years  Cleopatra  and 
Antony  ruled  Egypt  together.  The 
country  had  prospered,  even  in 
spite  of  the  extravagance  of  its 
governors,  and  the  Egyptians  had 
shown  a  pride  in  their  Roman 
ruler,  as  if  he  had  done  them  great 
honor  to  remain  and  be  one  with 
them  &  jf 

Csesario  was  approaching  manhood — his  mother's 
heart  was  centering  her  ambition  in  him — she  called 
him  her  King  of  Kings,  the  name  she  had  given  to  his 
father.  Antony  was  fond  of  the  young  man,  and  put 
him  forward  at  public  fetes  even  in  advance  of  Cleo 
patra,  his  daughter,  and  Alexander  and  Ptolemy,  his 
twin  boys  by  the  same  mother.  In  playful  paraphrase 
of  Cleopatra,  Antony  called  her  the  Queen  of  Kings, 
and  also  the  Mother  of  Kings. 

Word  reached  Rome  that  these  children  of  Cleopatra 
were  being  trained  as  if  they  were  to  rule  the  world 
— perhaps  it  was  so  to  be!  Octavius  Caesar  scowled. 
For  Antony  to  wed  his  sister,  and  then  desert  her, 
and  bring  up  a  brood  of  barbarians  to  menace  the 
state,  was  a  serious  offense. 

An  order  was  sent  commanding  Antony  to  return 
—  requests  and  prayers  all  having  proved  futile  and 
fruitless  <T  & 

Antony  had  turned  into  fifty;  his  hair  and  beard  were 
whitening  with  the  frost  of  years.  Cleopatra  was  near 


MARK    ANTONY 61 

forty — devoted  to  her  children,  being  their  nurse,  in 
structor,  teacher. 

The  books  refer  to  the  life  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra 
as  being  given  over  to  sensuality,  licentiousness,  prof 
ligacy.  Just  a  word  here  to  state  this  fact:  sensuality 
alone  sickens  and  turns  to  satiety  ere  a  single  moon 
has  run  her  course.  Sensuality  was  a  factor  in  the 
bond,  because  sensuality  is  a  part  of  life,  but  sensu 
ality  alone  soon  separate  a  man  and  woman — it  does 
not   long   unite.  The   bond   that   united  Antony  and 
Cleopatra  cannot  be  disposed  of  by  either  the  words 
"sensuality"  or  "licentiousness" — some  other  term 
here  applies:  make  it  what  you  wish. 
A  copy  of  Antony's  will  had  been  stolen  from  the 
Alexandria  archives  and  carried  to  Rome  by  traitors 
in  hope  of  personal  reward.  Caesar  read  the  will  to  the 
Senate.  One  clause  of  it  was  particularly  offensive  to 
Caesar:    it   provided   that   on    the    death    of  Antony, 
wherever  it  might  occur,  his  body  should  be  carried 
to  Cleopatra.  The  will  also  provided  that  the  children 
of  Cleopatra  should  be  provided  for  first,  and  after 
ward  the  children  of  Fulvia  and  Oclavia. 
The  Roman  Senate  heard  the  will,  and  declared  Mark 
Antony  an 'outlaw — a  public  enemy. 
Ere  long  Caesar  himself  took  the  field  and  the  Roman 
legions  were  pressing  down  upon  Egypt.  The  rene 
gade  Mark  Antony  was  fighting  for  his  life.  For  a  time 
he  was  successful,  but  youth  was  no  longer  his,  the 
spring  had  gone  out  of  his  veins,  and  pride  and  pros- 


62  MARK     ANTONY 

perity  had   pushed   him   toward   fatty  degeneration. 
Q  His  soldiers  lost  faith  in  him,  and  turned  to  the 
powerful  name  of  Caesar— a  name  to  conjure  with.  A 
battle  had  been  arranged  between  the  fleet  of  Mark 
Antony  and  that  of  Caesar.  Mark  Antony  stood  upon  a 
hillside,  overlooking  the  sea,  and  saw  his  valiant  fleet 
approach,  in  battle  array,  the  ships  of  the  enemy.  The 
two  fleets  met,  hailed  each  other  in  friendly  manner 
with  their  oars,  turned  and  together  sailed  away. 
On  shore  the  cavalry  had  done  the  same  as  the  sol 
diers  on  the  sea— the  infantry  were  routed. 
Mark  Antony  was  undone— he  made  his  way  back  to 
the  city,  and  as  usual  sought  Cleopatra.  The  palace 
was  deserted,  save  for  a  few  servants.  They  said  that 
the  Queen  had  sent  the  children  away  some  days  be 
fore,  and  she  was  in  the  mausoleum. 
To  the  unhappy  man  this  meant  that  she  was  dead. 
He  demanded  that  his  one  faithful  valet,  known  by  the 
fanciful  name  of  Eros,  should  keep  his  promise  and 
kill  him.  Eros  drew  his  sword,  and  Antony  bared  his 
breast,  but  instead  of  striking  the  sword  into  the  vitals 
of  his  master,  Eros  plunged  the  blade  into  his  own 
body,  and  fell  dead  at  his  master's  feet. 
At  which  Mark  Antony  exclaimed,  "This  was  well 
done,  Eros— thy  heart  would  not  permit  thee  to  kill 
thy  master,  but  thou  hast  set  him  an  example!"  So 
saying  he  plunged  his  sword  into  his  bowels. 
The  wound  was  not  deep  enough  to  cause  immediate 
death;  he  begged  the  gathered  attendants  to  kill  him. 


MARK    ANTONY 63 

QWord  had  been  carried  to  Cleopatra,  who  had 
moved  into  her  mausoleum  for  safety.  This  monu 
ment  and  tomb  had  been  eretted  some  years  before; 
it  was  made  of  square  blocks  of  solid  stone,  and  was 
the  stoutest  building  in  Alexandria.  While  Antony 
was  outside  the  walls  fighting,  Cleopatra  had  carried 
into  this  building  all  of  her  jewelry,  plate,  costly 
silks,  gold,  silver,  pearls,  her  private  records  and  most 
valuable  books.  She  had  also  carried  into  the  mauso 
leum  a  large  quantity  of  flax  and  several  torches. 
The  intent  was  if  Antony  was  defeated,  and  the  city 
taken  by  Caesar  that  the  conqueror  should  not  take 
the  Queen  alive,  neither  should  he  have  her  treasure. 
With  her  two  women,  Iras  and  Charmion,  she  en 
tered  the  tomb,  all  agreeing  that  when  the  worst 
came  they  would  fire  the  flax  and  die  together. 
'When  the  Queen  heard  that  Antony  was  at  death's 
door,  she  ordered  that  he  should  be  brought  to  her. 
He  was  carried  on  a  litter  to  the  iron  gate  of  the 
tomb;  but  she,  fearing  treachery,  would  not  unbar  the 
door.  Cords  were  let  down  from  a  window  above  and  the 
Queen  and  her  two  women,  by  much  effort,  drew  the 
stricken  man  up,  and  lifted  him  through  the  window. 
Q  Cleopatra  embraced  him,  calling  him  her  lord,  her 
life,  her  king,  her  husband.  She  tried  to  staunch  his 
wound,  but  the  death  rattle  was  already  in  his  throat. 
"Do  not  grieve,"  he  said,  "remember  our  love — re 
member,  too,  I  fought  like  a  Roman  and  have  been 
overcome  only  by  a  Roman!" 


64 MARK    ANTONY 

And  so  holding  him  in  her  arms,  Antony  died.  C£  When 
Caesar  heard  that  his  enemy  was  dead,  he  put  on 
mourning  for  the  man  -who  had  been  his  comrade 
and  colleague,  and  sent  messages  of  condolence  to 
Cleopatra.  He  set  apart  a  day  for  the  funeral  and 
ordered  that  the  day  should  be  sacred,  and  Cleopatra 
should  not  be  disturbed  in  any  way. 
Cleopatra  prepared  the  body  for  burial  with  her  own 
hands,  dug  the  grave  alone,  and  with  her  women  laid  the 
body  to  rest,  and  she  alone  gave  the  funeral  address. 
Q  Caesar  was  gentle,  gracious,  kind.  Assurances  came 
that  he  would  do  neither  the  city,  nor  the  Queen,  the 
slightest  harm. 

Cleopatra  demanded  Egypt  for  her  children,  and  for 
herself  she  wished  only  the  privilege  of  living  with 
her  grief  in  obscurity.  Caesar  would  make  no  promises 
for  her  children,  but  as  for  herself  she  should  still  be 
Queen— they  were  of  one  age — why  should  not  Caesar 
and  Cleopatra  still  rule,  just  as  a  Caesar  had  ruled  before ! 
Q  But  this  woman  had  loved  the  Great  Caesar,  and 
now  her  heart  was  in  the  grave  with  Mark  Antony — 
she  scorned  the  soft,  insinuating  promises. 
She  clothed  herself  in  her  most  costly  robes,  wearing 
the  pearls  and  gems  that  Antony  had  given  her,  and  up 
on  her  head  was  the  diadem  that  proclaimed  her  Queen. 
A  courier  from  Caesar's  camp  knocked  at  the  door  of 
the  mausoleum,  but  he  knocked  in  vain. 
Finally  a  ladder  was  procured,  and  he  climbed  to  the 
window  through  which  the  body  of  Antony  had  been 


MARK    ANTONY 65 

lifted.  Q  In  the  lower  room  he  saw  the  Queen  seated 
in  her  golden  chair  of  state,  robed  and  serene,  dead. 
At  her  feet  lay  Iras,  lifeless.  The  faithful  Charmion 
stood  as  if  in  waiting  at  the  back  of  her  mistress* 
chair,  giving  a  final  touch  to  the  diadem  that  sat  upon 
the  coils  of  her  lustrous  hair. 
The  messenger  from  Caesar  stood  in  the  door  aghast 

orders  had  been  given  that  Cleopatra  should  not  be 

harmed,  neither  should  she  be  allowed  to  harm  herself. 

Q  Now  she  had  escaped! 

"Charmion!"  called  the  man  in  stern  rebuke,  "How 

was  this  done!" 

"Done,  sir,"  said  Charmion  "as  became  a  daughter 

of  the  King  of  Egypt." 

As  the  woman  spoke  the  words  she  reeled,  caught  at 

the  chair,  fell,  and  was  dead. 

Some  said  these  women  had  taken  a  deadly  poison 

invented  by  Cleopatra  and  held  against  this  day;  others 

still  told  of  how  a  countryman  had  brought  a  basket  of 

figs,  by  appointment,  covered  over  with  green  leaves, 

and  in  the  basket  was  hidden  an  asp,  that  deadliest  of 

serpents.  Cleopatra  had  placed  the  asp  in  her  bosom, 

and  the  other  women  had  followed  her  example. 

Caesar  still  wearing  mourning  for  Mark  Antony  went 

into  retirement  and  for  three  days  refused  all  visitors. 

But  first  he  ordered  that  the  body  of  Cleopatra,  clothed 

as  she  had  died,  in  her  royal  robes,  should  be  placed 

in  the  grave  beside  the  body  of  Mark  Antony. 

And  it  was  so  done. 


SO  HERE  ENDETH  THE  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HOME 
OF  MARK  ANTONY,  AS  WRITTEN  BY  ELBERT  HUBBARD: 
THE  TITLE  PAGE  AND  INITIALS  BEING  DESIGNED 
BY  SAMUEL  WARNER  &  THE  WHOLE  DONE  INTO  A 
PRINTED  BOOK  BY  THE  ROYCROFTERS  AT  THEIR 
SHOP,  WHICH  IS  IN  EAST  AURORA,  ERIE  COUNTY,  NEW 
YORK,  IN  FEBRUARY,  OF  THE  YEAR  MCMIII  44*4* 


THE  PIANO 

IS     AN     EVOLUTION 


down  to  us  (or  up)  from  a  hunter's 

"'  bow,  which,  when  the  string  was  plucked,  "  sang."  Final 
ly  a  savage  stretched  several  kinds  of  strings  upon  one  bow 
and  found  he  could  play  a  scale.  It  took  several  thousand 
years  for  this  man's  successors  to  construct  a  harp.  A  piano 
is  a  harp,  with  a  mechanical  arrangement  of  delicately  bal 
anced  hammers  to  strike  the  strings.  The  perfect  piano  is  yet 
in  the  Ideal  City,  but  the 


Is  right  in  the  suburbs.  It  is  the  result  of  Knowing  all  that  has 
ever  been  done  and  improving  upon  it.  The  "  Starr"  is  a  work 
of  love  —  no  better  or  more  delightful  instrument  ever  has  been 
made.  The  success  of  the  "  Starr  "  in  the  musical  world  — 
among  the  most  exacting  performers  —  proves  its  excellence.  In 
construction,  Science  and  Art  have  combined,  and  the  result 
is  an  instrument  that  is  unsurpassed. 

The  Starr  Piano  Company 

Indianapolis,  Ind.  Toledo,  Ohio.     Dayton,  Ohio 

138  &  150  N.  Penn.  St.     Starr  Hall,  329  Superior.      131  S.  Main 

Executive  office  and  Factory,    Richmond,  Indiana 


THAT  PORTRAIT 


Of  STEVENSON  by  our  MR.  SAMUEL 
WARNER  has  received  high  praise  from 
several  Gentle  Folk  who  knew  Master 
Robert  Louis  in  life,  and  also  from  vari 
ous  of  the  Discerning  who  love  the  man 
because  he  voiced  so  many  beautiful 
things  that  we  might  have  voiced  for 
ourselves  had  we  the  mind. 
We  have  a  few  Artist  Proofs  of  this  pic 
ture,  size  10x14,  framed  Roycroftie  in 
Antique  Oak,  forming  a  takement  that  is 
a  Discreet  and  Delectable  ornament  for 
any  library.  We  will  disconnect  ourselves 
from  these  portraits,  while  they  last,  for 
five  dollars  each  —  sent  to  the  Faithful 
on  suspicion.  A  postal  card  will  fetch  it. 


THE   ROYCROFTERS 

EAST      AURORA,      NEW      YORK 


The    New    York    Special 

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and  Boston.  It  leaves  Chicago  5:20  p.  m.  daily  and  arrives  Buffalo 
7:50  a.  m.,  New  York  State  points  during  the  day,  Grand  Central 
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GREAT  MUSICIANS 

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( 2 )  All  the  back  bound  volumes  of  »  The  Philistine  M  we  have  on  hand, 

(3)  "Little  Journeys,"  beginning  with  current  numbers,  and  all  that 
shall  be  issued  in  future. 

(4)  Such  other  books,  pamphlets,  addresses  and  documents  as  the 
Roycrofters  may  elect  to  send  you  Every  Little  While. 

(5)  Success,  Health  and  Love  Vibrations,  sent  daily  by  the  Pastor  or 
AH  Baba. 

ADDRESS    THE    BURSAR,    EAST   AURORA,    NEW   YORK 


tfcittlr  1 

I    TO  THE  HOMES  OF 

Off  f*  fir  i^  f%  tf 
W'  v  iw  *r  MS  y 

EMINENT  ORATORS 

SAVON 

AROLA 

Vol.  XII.  MARCH,  1903.  No.  3 

By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 

Single  Copies,  25  cents 

By  the  Year,  $3.60 

LITTLE   JOURNEYS 

BY     ELBERT     HUBBARD      FOR 

1903     WILL     BE     TO     THE     HOMES      OF 

EMINENT    ORATORS 

SUBJECTS  AS  FOLLOWS: 

1  Pericles  7  Mirabeau      . 

2  Mark  Antony  8  Robert  Ingcrsoll 

3  Savonarola  9  John  Randolph 

4  Martin  Luther  10  Thomas  Starr  King 

5  Edmund  Burke  11  Henry  Ward  Beecher 

6  William  Pitt  12  Wendell  Phillips 

One  booklet  a  month  will  be  issued  as  usual,  beginning  on 
January  1st. 

The  LITTLE  JOURNEYS  for  1903  will  be  strictly  de  luxe  in 
form  and  workmanship.  The  type  will  be  a  new  font  of  antique 
blackface;  the"  initials  designed  especially  for  this  work;  a 
frontispiece  portrait  from  the  original  drawing  made  at  our 
Shop.  The  booklets  will  be  stitched  by  hand  with  silk. 
The  price — 25  cents  each,  or  $3.00  for  the  year. 

Address    THE    ROYCROFTERS     at    their 
Shop,    which   is  at    Ea&    Aurora,   New  York 

Entered  at  the  postoffice  at  East  Aurora,  New   York,  for  transmission 
as    second-class    mail    matter.  Copyright,    1902,   by    Elbert    Hubbard. 


NO  COMPETITION:— There 
are  two  ways  to  get  away  from 
competition.  One  is  to  make  a 
cheaper  article  and  undersell 
the  other  fellow;  and  the  other 
is  to  make  a  better  article  than 
the  other  fellow  does  or  can. 
The  public  is  not  slow  to  rec 
ognize  genuine  merit,  and  has 
always  been  willing  to  reward 
the  man  who  can  serve  it  best. 
H.  J.  Heinz  Co.  make  fifty-seven 
varieties  of  table  delicacies.  All 
these  articles  are  sightly,  pala 
table,  nutritious  and  hygienic. 
In  their  preparation  science  and 
art  have  combined,  and  the  re 
sult  is  NO  COMPETITION. 


PHALANSTERY 

The  word  was  first  used  by  Fourier,  and 
means  literally  "the  home  of  friends.'*  The 
ROYCROFT  PHALANSTERY,  with  its  new 
addition,  just  completed,  consists  of  a  kitchen, 
scientific  and  modern  in  all  of  its  appointments; 
a  dining-room  that  seats  a  hundred  people; 
thirty-eight  sleeping  rooms;  reception  rooms, 
etc.,  etc.  That  is  to  say  it  is  an  INN,  managed 
somewhat  like  a  Swiss  Monastery,  simple,  yet 
complete  in  all  of  its  appointments — where  the 
traveler  is  made  welcome.  There  are  always  a 
few  visitors  with  us.  Some  remain  simply  for  a 
meal,  others  stay  a  day,  or  a  week,  or  a  month. 
A  few  avail  themselves  of  the  services  of  our 
Musical  Director,  the  Physical  Instructor,  or 
take  lessons  in  drawing  and  painting.  C^The 
prices:  Meals,  such  as  they  are,  say  twenty- 
five  cents;  lodging,  fifty  cents.  If  parties  of  a 
dozen  or  more  want  accommodations,  it  is  well 
to  telegraph  ahead  to  THE  BURSAR  of 

THE  ROYCROFTERS 

EAST  AURORA,  NEW  YORK 


HE  BEST  VALUE, 

perhaps,  in  Roycroft  Books  is 
in  the  De  Luxe  copies  of  the 
LITTLE  JOURNEYS.  These 
Volumes  are  One  Dollar  each, 
and  they  are  the  only  One  Dol 
lar  books  the  Roycrofters  have  ever  made  or 
will  ever  make.  On  hand-made  paper,  bound 
in  limp  chamois,  silk  lined,  silk  marker,  hand- 
illumined.  We  have  a  few  on  hand  of  each  of 
the  following  subjects: 

ENGLISH  AUTHORS 
Robert  Burns  Macaulay 

John  Milton  Byron 

Samuel  Johnson  Addison 

GREAT  MUSICIANS 
Mozart  Liszt 

Bach  Beethoven 

Mendelssohn  Handel 

EMINENT  ARTISTS 
Thorwaldsen  Corot 

Gainsborough  Correggio 

Velasquez  Gian  Bellini 

Just  One  Dollar  each — there  is  no  profit  in  these  books 
for  us,  but  they  keep  our  boys  and  girls  busy,  and 
show  the  world  what  we  can  do. 

The  Roycrofters,  East  Aurora 


William  Morris 
Robert  Browning 
Tennyson 

Wagner 
Paganini 
Chopin 

Raphael 

Leonardo 

Botticelli 


Southey 

Coleridge 

Disraeli 

Verdi 

Schumann 

Brahms 

Cellini 
Abbey 
Whistler 


AT   THE    NATIONAL   CAPITAL. 

What  Postum  Did  There. 

A  well-known  figure  at  the  National  Capital  is  that  of  an 
attorney-at-law  and  solicitor  of  patents,  who  has  been  practic 
ing  before  the  courts  and  the  Department  of  the  Interior  at 
Washington  for  more  than  25  years.  The  experience  of  this 
gentleman  with  coffee  is  unusually  interesting,  for  it  proves 
that  although  the  ill  results  from  coffee  are  slow  they  are  sure. 
He  says, —  "I  have  consumed  coffee  at  my  meals  for  many 
years,  but  of  late  years  have  been  annoyed  by  deranged  stom 
ach  and  sleeplessness,  pains  in  my  head,  nervousness  and  con 
fusion  of  the  mind.  About  18  months  ago  I  quit  coffee  and 
commenced  to  use  Postum  Food  Coffee  and  have  experienced 
the  most  pleasing  and  beneficial  results  therefrom. 

"  It  has  aided  my  digestion,  increased  my  appetite  for  healthy 
food,  appeased  my  stomach,  invigorated  my  brain,  cleared  and 
quieted  nerves  and  mind,  and  enabled  me  to  sleep  soundly  8 
hours  out  of  the  24.  It  has  imparted  buoyancy  and  cheerful 
ness  to  my  daily  life  and  caused  me  to  look  on  the  bright  side 
of  things  in  general.  It  has  fitted  me  to  do  more  brain  work 
than  ever  before,  and  I  would  consider  it  a  calamity  to  be  de 
prived  of  its  use. 

' '  I  look  on  Postum  as  an  absolute  cure  for  the  ills  that  cof 
fee  causes.  It  not  only  cures  the  ravages  of  coffee  but  stimu 
lates  to  vigor  and  healthy  action  the  brain  and  all  the  organs 
of  the  human  body.  It  has  with  me  and  with  many  of  my 
friends,  and  this  is  my  authority  for  the  statement."  Name 
furnished  by  Postum  Co.,  Battle  Creek,  Mich. 


Little 
pounneys 

JTo  the  Homes  of 

EMINENT 
ORATORS 

Savonarola 

UMtten  by  Elbent 
Hubband  &  done 
into  a  Book  by  the 
Roycitoftcns  at  the 
Shop,  which  is  in 


Yonk,  J\.  D.  1903 


JOME  have  narrowed  their  minds,  and  so  fettered  them 
with  the  chains  of  antiquity,  that  not  only  do  they  refuse 
to  speak  save  as  the  ancients  spake,  but  they  refuse  to 
think  save  as  the  ancients  thought.  God  speaks  to  us, 
too,  and  the  best  thoughts  are  those  now  being  vouch 
safed  to  us.  We  will  excel  the  ancients!  SAVONAROLA. 


SAVONAROLA 


67 


|HE  wise  ones  say  with  a  sigh,  Genius 
does  not  reproduce  itself.  But  let  us 
take  heart  and  remember  that  medioc 
rity  does  not  always  do  so,  either.  The 
men  of  genius  have  often  been  the  sons 
of  commonplace  parents  —  no  hovel  is 
safe  from  it. 

The  father  of  Girolamo  Savonarola  was 
a  trifler,  a  spendthrift  and  a  profligate. 
Yet  he  proved  a  potent  teacher  for  his 
son,  pressing  his  lessons  home  by  the 
law  of  antithesis.  The  sons  of  dissipated 
fathers  are  often  temperance  fanatics. 
CJThe  character  of  Savonarola's  mother 
can  be  best  gauged  by  the  letters  writ 
ten  to  her  by  her  son.  Many  of  these 
have  come  down  to  us,  and  they  breathe 
a  love  that  is  very  gentle,  very  tender 
and  yet  very  profound.  That  this  woman 
had  an  intellect  which  went  to  the  heart 
of  things  is  shown  in  these  letters:  we 
write  for  those  who  understand,  and 
the  person  to  whom  a  letter  is  written 
gives  the  key  that  calls  forth  its  quality. 
Great  love-letters  are  written  only  to 
great  women. 

But  the  best  teacher  young  Girolamo 
had  was  his  grandfather,  Dr.  Michael 
Savonarola,  a  physician  of  Padua,  and 


68 SAVONAROLA 

a  man  of  much  wisdom,  and  common-sense,  beside. 
Between  the  old  man  and  his  grandchild  there  was  a 
very  tender  sentiment,  that  soon  formed  itself  into  an 
abiding  bond.  Together  they  rambled  along  the  banks 
of  the  Po,  climbed  the  hills  in  springtime  looking  for 
the  first  flowers,  made  collections  of  butterflies,  and 
caught  the  sunlight  in  their  hearts  as  it  streamed 
across  the  valleys  as  the  shadows  lengthened.  On 
these  solitary  little  journeys  they  usually  carried  a 
copy  of  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  and  seated  on  a  rock  the 
old  man  would  read  to  the  boy  lying  on  the  grass  at 
his  feet. 

In  a  year  or  two  the  boy  did  the  reading,  and  would 
expound  the  words  of  the  Saint  as  he  went  along. 
CJThe  old  grandfather  was  all  bound  up  in  this  slim, 
delicate  youngster  with  the  olive  complexion,  and 
sober  ways.  There  were  brothers  and  sisters  at  home 

big  and  strong — but  this  boy  was  different.  He  was 

not  handsome  enough  to  be  much  of  a  favorite  with 
girls,  nor  strong  enough  to  win  the  boys,  and  so  he 
and  the  grandfather  were  chums  together. 
This  thought  of  aloofness,  of  being  peculiar,  was  first 
fostered  in  the  lad's  mind  by  the  old  man.  It  was  n't 
exactly  a  healthy  condition.  The  old  man  taught  the 
boy  to  play  the  flute,  and  together  they  constructed  a 
set  of  pipes — the  pipes  o'  Pan — and  out  along  the  river 
they  would  play,  when  they  grew  tired  of  reading, 
and  listen  for  the  echo  that  came  across  the  water. 
" There  are  voices  calling  to  me,"  said  the  boy  look- 


SAVONAROLA 69 

ing  up  at  the  old  man,  one  day,  as  they  rested  by  the 
bank  rfT  4f 

"Yes,  I  believe  it— you  must  listen  for  the  Voice," 
said  the  old  man. 

And  so  the  idea  became  rooted  in  the  lad's  mind  that 
he  was  in  touch  with  another  world,  and  was  a  being 
set  apart. 

"Lord,  teach  me  the  way  my  soul  should  walk!"  was 
his  prayer.  Doubt  and  distrust  filled  his  mind,  and  his 
nights  were  filled  with  fear.  This  child  without  sin, 
believed  himself  to  be  a  sinner. 

But  this  feeling  was  all  forgotten  when  another  com 
panion  came  to  join  them  in  their  walks.  This  was  a 
girl  about  the  same  age  of  Girolamo.  She  was  the 
child  of  a  neighbor — one  of  the  Strozzi  family.  The 
Strozzi  belonged  to  the  nobility,  but  the  Savonarolas 
were  only  peasants,  yet  with  children  there  is  no 
caste.  So  this  trinity  of  boy,  girl  and  grandfather  were 
very  happy.  The  old  man  taught  his  pupils  to  observe 
the  birds  and  bees,  to  make  tracings  of  the  flowers,  and 
listen  to  the  notes  he  played  on  the  pipes,  so  as  to  call 
them  all  by  name.  And  then  there  was  always  the  St. 
Thomas  Aquinas  to  fall  back  upon  should  outward 
nature  fail. 

But  there  came  a  day  when  the  boy  and  girl  ceased  to 
walk  hand  in  hand,  and  instead  of  the  delight  and  aban 
don  of  childhood  there  was  hesitation  and  aloofness. 
QWhen  the  parents  of  the  girl  forbade  her  playing 
with  the  boy,  reminding  her  of  the  difference  in  their 


7°        SAVONAROLA 

station,  and  she  came  by  stealth  to  bid  the  old  man 
and  Girolamo  good-bye,  the  pride  in  the  boy's  heart 
flamed  up:  he  clenched  his  fist— and  feeling  spent 
itself  in  tears. 

When  he  looked  up  the  girl  was  gone —they  were 
never  to  meet  again. 

The  grief  of  the  boy  pierced  the  heart  of  the  old  man 
and  he  murmured,  "Joy  liveth  yet  for  a  day,  but  the 
sorrow  of  man  abideth  forever." 
Doubt  and  fear  assailed  the  lad. 

The  efforts  of  his  grandfather  to  interest  him  in  the 
study  of  his  own  profession  of  medicine,  failed.  Re 
ligious  brooding  filled  his  days,  and  he  became  pale 
and  weak  from  fasting. 

He  had  grown  in  stature,  but  the  gauntness  of  his 
face  made  his  coarse  features  stand  out,  that  he  was 
almost  repulsive.  But  this  homeliness  was  relieved 
by  the  big,  lustrous,  brown  eyes— eyes  that  challenged 
and  beseeched  in  turn. 

The  youth  was  now  a  young  man — eighteen  summers 
lay  behind,  when  he  disappeared  from  home. 
Soon  came  a  letter  from  Bologna  in  which  Girolamo 
explained  at  length  to  his  mother  that  the  world's 
wickedness  was  to  him  intolerable,  its  ambition 
ashes,  and  its  hopes  not  worth  striving  for.  He  had 
entered  the  monastery  of  St.  Dominico,  and  to  save 
his  family  the  pain  of  parting  he  had  stolen  quietly 
away.  "I  have  hearkened  to  the  Voice,"  he  said. 


SAVONAROLA 


AVONAROLA  remained  in  the 
monastery  at  Bologna  for  six 
years,  scarcely  passing  beyond  its 
walls.  These  were  years  of  cease 
less  study,  writing,  meditation — 
work.  He  sought  the  most  menial 
occupations — doing  tasks  that 
others  cautiously  evaded.  His 
simplicity,  earnestness  and  aus 
terity  won  the  love  and  admiration  of  the  monks,  and 
they  sought  to  make  life  more  congenial  to  him,  by  ad 
vancing  him  to  the  office  of  teacher  to  the  novitiates. 
<JHe  declared  his  unfitness  to  teach,  and  it  was  an 
imperative  order,  and  not  a  suggestion,  that  forced 
him  to  forsake  the  business  of  scrubbing  corridors  on 
hands  and  knees,  and  array  himself  in  the  white  robe 
of  a  teacher  and  reader. 

The  office  of  teacher  and  that  of  an  orator  are  not  far 
apart — it  is  all  a  matter  of  expression.  The  first  requi 
site  in  expression  is  animation — you  must  feel  in  order 
to  impart  feeling.  No  drowsy,  lazy,  disinterested,  half 
hearted,  selfish,  pre-occupied,  trifling  person  can  teach 
— to  teach  you  must  have  life,  and  life  in  abundance. 
You  must  have  abandon — you  must  project  yourself, 
and  inundate  the  room  with  your  presence.  To  infuse 
life,  and  a  desire  to  remember,  to  know,  to  become, 
into  a  class  of  a  dozen  pupils  is  to  reveal  the  power  of 
an  orator.  If  you  can  fire  the  minds  of  a  few  with 
your  own  spirit,  you  can,  probably,  also  fuse  and  weld 


72 SAVONAROLA 

a  thousand  in  the  same  way.  Q Savonarola  taught  his 
little  class  of  novitiates,  and  soon  the  older  monks 
dropped  in  to  hear  the  discourse.  A  larger  room  was 
necessary,  and  in  a  short  time  the  semi-weekly  infor 
mal  talk  resolved  itself  into  a  lecture,  and  every  seat 
was  occupied  when  it  was  known  that  Brother  Girol- 
amo  would  speak. 

This  success  suggested  to  the  Prior  that  Savonarola 
be  sent  out  to  preach  in  the  churches  round  about, 
and  it  was  so  done. 

But  outside  the  monastery  Savonarola  was  not  a  suc 
cess — he  was  precise,  exact,  and  labored  to  make  him 
self  understood —  freedom  had  not  yet  come  to  him. 
QBut  let  us  wait!  QOne  of  America's  greatest  preach 
ers  was  well  past  forty  before  he  evolved  abandon, 
swung  himself  out  clear,  and  put  for  open  sea.  Uncer 
tainty  and  anxiety  are  death  to  oratory. 
In  every  monastery  there  are  two  classes  of  men— 
the  religious,  the  sincere,  the  earnest,  the  austere; 
and  the  fat,  lazy,  profligate  and  licentious. 
And  the  proportion  of  the  first  class  to  the  second 
changes  just  in  proportion  as  the  monastery  is  suc 
cessful — to  succeed  in  nature  is  to  die.  The  fruit 
much  loved  by  the  sun  rots  first.  The  early  monas 
teries  were  mendicant  institutions,  and  for  mendi 
cancy  to  grow  rich  is  an  anomaly  that  carries  a 
penalty.  A  successful  beggar  is  apt  to  be  haughty, 
arrogant,  dictatorial — from  an  humble  request  for 
alms  to  a  demand  for  your  purse,  is  but  a  step.  In 


SAVONAROLA 73 

either  case  the  man  wants  something  that  is  not  his 
— there  are  three  ways  to  get  it:  earn  it,  beg  it,  seize 
it.  The  first  method  is  absurd — to  dig  I  am  ashamed 
— the  second,  easy,  the  last  is  best  of  all,  provided 
objection  is  not  too  strenuous.  Beggars  a-horseback 
are  knights  of  the  road. 

That  which  comes  easy,  goes  easy,  and  so  it  is  the 
most  natural  thing  in  the  "world  for  a  monk  to  become 
a  connoisseur  of  wines,  an  expert  gourmet,  a  sensual 
ist  who  plays  the  limit.  The  monastic  impulse  begins 
in  the  beautiful  desire  for  solitude — to  be  alone  with 
God — and  ere  it  runs  its  gamut,  dips  deep  into  license 
and  wallows  in  folly. 

The  austere  monk  leaves  woman  out,  the  other  kind 
enslaves  her:  both  are  wrong,  for  man  can  never 
advance  and  leave  woman  behind.  God  never  intended 
that  man,  made  in  his  image,  should  be  either  a  beast 
or  a  fool. 

And  here  we  are  wiser  than  Savonarola — noble,  hon 
est  and  splendid  man  that  he  was.  He  saw  the  wick 
edness  of  the  world  and  sought  to  shun  it  by  fleeing 
to  a  monastery.  There  he  saw  the  wickedness  of  the 
monastery  and  there  being  no  place  to  flee,  he  sought 
to  purify  it.  And  at  the  same  time  he  sought  to  purify 
and  better  the  world  by  standing  outside  of  the  world. 
QThe  history  of  the  Church  is  a  history  of  endeavor  to 
keep  it  from  drifting  into  the  thing  it  professes  not  to 
be — concrete  selfishness.  The  Church  began  in  humil 
ity  and  simplicity,  and  when  it  became  successful 


74 SAVONAROLA 

behold  it  became  a  thing  of  pomp,  pride,  processional, 
crowns,  jewels,  rich  robes  and  a  power  that  used  itself 
to   subjugate   and   subdue,  instead   of  the   pity  that 
would  uplift  and  lead  by  love. 
Oh,  the  shame  of  it! 

And  Savonarola  saw  these  things — saw  them  to  the 
exclusion  of  everything  else — and  his  cry  continually 
was  for  a  return  to  the  religion  of  Jesus  the  Carpenter, 
the  Man  who  gave  his  life  that  others  might  live. 
The  Christ  spirit  filled  the  heart  of  Savonarola.  His 
soul  was  wrung  with  pity  for  the  poor,  the  unfortu 
nate,  the  oppressed:  and  he  had  insight  sufficient  into 
economics  to  know  that  where  greed,  gluttony  and 
idleness  abound,  there  too  stalks  oppression,  suffer 
ing  and  death.  The  palaces  of  the  rich  are  built  on 
the  bones  of  the  poor. 

Others,  high  in  Church  authority,  saw  these  things, 
too,  and  knew  no  less  than  Savonarola  the  need  of 
reform — they  gloried  in  his  ringing  words  of  warning, 
and  they  admired  no  less  his  example  of  austerity. 
CJThey  could  not  do  the  needed  work,  perhaps  he 
could  do  a  little,  at  least. 

And  so  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Mark's  Monastery 
at  Florence — the  place  that  needed  him  most. 
Florence  was  the  acknowledged  seat  of  art  and  polite 
learning  of  all  Italy,  and  St.  Mark's  was  the  chief 
glory  of  the  Church  in  Florence. 

Florence  was  prosperous  and  so  was  St.  Mark's,  and 
have  we  not  said  that  there  is  something  in  pure 


SAVONAROLA 


75 


prosperity  that  taints  the  soul?  Q  Savonarola  was  sent 
to  St.  Mark's  merely  as  a  teacher  and  lecturer.  Bologna 
was  full  of  gloom  and  grime — the  bestiality  there  was 
untamed.  Here  everything  'was  gilded,  gracious  and 
good  to  look  upon.  The  cloister  walks  were  embow 
ered  in  climbing  roses,  the  walls  decorated  fresh  from 
the  brush  of  Fra  Angelico,  and  the  fountains  in  the 
gardens,  adorned  by  naked  cupids,  sent  their  sparkling 
beads  aloft  to  greet  the  sunlight. 

Brother  Girolamo  had  never  seen  such  beauty  before 
— its  gracious  essence  enfolded  him  'round,  and  for  a 
few  short  hours  lifted  that  dead  weight  of  abiding 
melancholy  from  his  soul. 

'When  he  lectured  he  was  surprised  to  find  many 
fashionable  ladies  in  his  audience — learning  was  evi 
dently  a  fad.  He  saw  that  it  was  expected  that  he 
should  be  amusing,  diverting,  and  incidentally,  in 
structive.  He  had  only  one  mode  of  preaching — this 
was  earnest  exhortation  to  a  higher  life,  the  life  of 
austerity,  simplicity  and  nearness  to  God,  by  labor 
ing  to  benefit  His  children.  QHe  mumbled  through 
his  lecture  and  retired,  abashed  and  humiliated. 


76 


SAVONAROLA 


T  was  the  year  1482,  and  the  whole 
world  was  a-thrill  with  thought 
and  feeling.  Lorenzo  the  Magnifi 
cent  was  at  the  height  of  his 
power  and  popularity;  printing 
presses  gave  letters  an  impetus; 
art  flourished;  the  people  were 
dazzled  by  display  and  were  dip 
ping  deep  into  the  love  of  pleas 


ure.  The  austerity  of  Christian  religion  had  glided  off 
by  imperceptible  degrees  into  pagan  pageantry,  and 
the  song  of  bacchanals  filled  the  streets  at  midnight. 
Q  Lorenzo  did  for  the  world  a  great  and  splendid  work 
—for  one  thing,  he  discovered  Michael  Angelo— and  the 
encouragement  he  gave  to  the  arts  made  Florence  the 
beautiful  dream  in  stone  that  she  is  even  to  this  day. 
QThe  world  needs  the  Lorenzos  and  the  world  needs 
the  Savonarolas— they  form  an  Opposition  of  Forces 
that  holds  the  balance  true.  Power  left  to  itself  attains 
a  terrifnc  impetus— a  governor  is  needed— and  it  was 
Savonarola  who  tempered  and  tamed  the  excesses  of 

the  Medici. 

In  1483  Savonarola  was  appointed  Lenten  preacher  at 
the  Church  of  St.  Lorenzo  in  Florence.  His  exhorta 
tions  were  plain,  homely,  blunt— his  voice  uncertain, 
and  his  ugly  features  at  times  inclined  his  fashionable 
auditors  to  unseemly  smiles.  When  ugliness  forgets 
itself  and  gives  off  the  flash  of  the  spirit  it  becomes 
magnificent— takes  upon  itself  a  halo— but  this  was 


SAVONAROLA 


77 


not  yet  to  be.  ((The  orator  must  subdue  his  audience 
or  it  will  subdue  him. 

Savonarola  retired  to  his  cloister  cell,  whipped  and 
discouraged.  He  took  no  part  in  the  festivals  and  fetes: 
the  Gardens  of  Lorenzo  were  not  for  him;  the  society 
of  the  smooth  and  cultured  lovers  of  art  and  literature 
was  beyond  his  pale.  Being  incapable  by  tempera 
ment  of  mixing  in  the  whirl  of  pleasure,  he  found  a 
satisfaction  in  keeping  out  of  it,  thus  proving  his  hu 
manity.  Not  being  able  to  have  a  thing,  we  scorn  it. 
Men  who  cannot  dance  are  apt  to  regard  dancing  as 
sinful  <r  *T 

Savonarola  saw  things  as  a  countryman  sees  them 
when  he  goes  to  a  great  city  for  the  first  time.  There 
is  much  that  is  wrong— very  much  that  is  wasteful, 
extravagant,  absurd  and  pernicious,  but  it  is  not  all 
base,  and  the  visitor  is  apt  to  err  in  his  conclusions, 
especially  if  he  be  of  an  intense  and  ascetic  type. 
Savonarola  was  sick  at  heart,  sick  in  body— fasts  and 
vigils  had  done  their  sure  and  certain  work  for  nerves 
and  digestion.  He  saw  visions  and  heard  voices,  and 
in  the  Book  of  Revelation  he  discovered  the  symbols 
of  prophesy  that  foretold  the  doom  of  Florence.  He 
felt  that  he  was  divinely  inspired. 

In  the  outside  world  he  saw  only  the  worst and  this 

was  well. 

He  believed  that  he  was  one  sent  from  God  to  cleanse 
the  Church  of  its  iniquities — and  he  was  right. 
These  mad  men  are  needed— Nature  demands  them, 


78 SAVONAROLA 

and  so  God  makes  them  to  order.  They  are  ignorant 
of  what  the  many  know,  and  this  is  their  advantage ; 
they  are  blind  to  all  but  a  few  things,  and  therein  lies 
their  power. 

The  belief  in  his  mission  filled  the  heart  of  Savonarola. 
Gradually  he  gained  ground,  made  head,  and  the  Prior 
of  St.  Mark's  did  what  the  Prior  of  St.  Dominico's  had 
done  at  Bologna — he  sent  the  man  out  on  preaching 
tours  among  the  churches  and  monasteries.  The  aus 
terity  and  purity  of  his  character,  the  sublimity  of  his 
faith,  and  his  relentless  war  upon  the  extravagance 
of  the  times,  made  his  presence  valuable  to  the 
Church.  Then  in  all  personal  relationships  the  man 
was  most  lovable — gentle,  sympathetic,  kind.  Wher 
ever  he  went  his  influence  was  for  the  best. 
Power  plus  came  to  him  for  the  first  time  at  Brescia 
in  1486.  The  sermon  he  gave  was  one  he  had  given 
many  times,  in  fact,  he  never  had  but  one  theme  — 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  accept  the  pardon  of 
the  gentle  Christ  ere  it  is  too  late — ere  it  is  too  late. 
CfMuch  of  what  passes  for  oratory  is  merely  talk,  lec 
ture,  harangue  and  argument.  These  things  may  all 
be  very  useful,  and  surely  they  have  their  place  in 
the  world  of  work  and  business,  but  oratory  is  another 
thing.  Oratory  is  the  impassioned  outpouring  of  a 
heart — a  heart  full  to  bursting:  it  is  the  absolute  giv 
ing  of  soul  to  soul. 

Every  great  speech  is  an  evolution — it  must  be  given 
many  times  before  it  becomes  a  part  of  the  man  him- 


SAVONAROLA 79 

self.  Oratory  is  the  ability  to  weld  a  mass  of  people 
into  absolutely  one  mood.  To  do  this  the  orator  must 
lose  himself  in  his  subject — he  must  cast  expediency 
to  the  winds.  And  more  than  this,  his  theme  must 
always  be  an  appeal  for  humanity.  Inveclive,  threat, 
challenge,  all  play  their  parts,  but  love  is  the  great 
recurring  theme  that  winds  in  and  out  through  every 
great  sermon  or  oration.  Pathos  is  only  possible  where 
there  is  great  love,  and  pathos  is  always  present  in 
the  oration  that  subdues,  that  convinces,  that  wins, 
and  sends  men  to  their  knees  in  abandonment  of  their 
own  wills.  The  audience  is  the  female  element — the 
orator  the  male,  and  love  is  the  theme.  The  orator 
comes  in  the  name  of  God  to  give  protection — freedom. 
Q  Usually  the  great  orator  is  on  the  losing  side.  And 
this  excites  on  the  part  of  the  audience  the  feminine 
attribute  of  pity,  and  pity  fused  with  admiration  gives 
us  love — thus  does  love  act  and  react  on  love. 
Oratory  supplies  the  most  sublime  gratification  which 
the  gods  have  to  give.  To  subdue  the  audience  and 
blend  mind  with  mind  affords  an  intoxication  be 
yond  the  ambrosia  of  Elysium.  When  Sophocles 
pictured  the  god  Mercury  seizing  upon  the  fairest 
daughter  of  Earth  and  carrying  her  away  through  the 
realms  of  space,  he  had  in  mind  the  power  of  the  ora 
tor,  which  through  love  lifts  up  humanity  and  sways 
men  by  a  burst  of  feeling  that  brooks  no  resistance. 
Q  Oratory  is  the  child  of  democracy— it  pleads  for  the 
weak,  for  the  many  against  the  few,  and  no  great 


8o 


SAVONAROLA 


speech  was  ever  yet  made  save  in  behalf  of  mankind. 
The  orator  feels  their  joys,  their  sorrows,  their  hopes, 
their  desires,  their  aspirations,  their  sufferings  and 
pains.  They  may  have  wandered  far,  but  his  arms  are 
open  wide  for  their  return.  Here  alone  does  soul  re 
spond  to  soul.  And  it  is  love,  alone,  that  fuses  feeling 
so  that  all  are  of  one  mind  and  mood.  Oratory  is  an 
exercise  of  power. 

But  oratory,  like  all  sublime  pleasures,  pays  its  pen 
alty — this  way  madness  lies.  The  great  orator  has 
ever  been  a  man  of  sorrows,  acquainted  with  grief. 
Oratory  points  the  martyr's  path;  it  leads  by  the 
thorn  road;  and  those  who  have  trod  the  way,  have 
carried  the  cross  with  bleeding  feet,  and  deep  into 
their  side  has  been  thrust  the  spear. 


SAVONAROLA 


81 


T  was  not  until  his  fortieth  year 
that  Savonarola  attained  that 
self-sufficiency  and  complete  self- 
reliance  that  marks  a  man  who  is 
fit  for  martyrdom.  Courage  comes 
only  to  those  who  have  done  the 
thing  before. 

By  this  time  Savonarola  had 
achieved  enemies,  and  several 
dignitaries  had  done  him  the  honor  of  publicly  an 
swering  him.  His  invective  was  against  the  sins  of 
Church  and  Society,  but  his  enemies  instead  of  de 
fending  their  cause  did  the  very  natural  thing  of 
inveighing  against  Savonarola. 

Thus  did  they  divert  attention  from  the  question  at 
issue.  Personal  abuse  is  often  more  effective  than 
argument,  and  certainly  much  more  easy  to  wield. 
CC  Savonarola  was  getting  himself  beautifully  misun 
derstood.  Such  words  as  fanatic,  pretender,  agita 
tor,  heretic,  renegade  and  "dangerous,"  were  freely 
hurled  at  him.  They  said  he  was  pulling  down  the 
pillars  of  society.  He  seriously  considered  retiring  en 
tirely  from  the  pulpit;  and  as  a  personal  vindication 
and  that  his  thoughts  might  live,  he  wrote  a  book, 
"The  Triumph  of  the  Cross."  This  volume  contains 
all  his  philosophy  and  depicts  truth  as  he  saw  it. 
QLet  a  reader,  ignorant  of  the  author,  peruse  this 
book  today,  and  he  will  find  in  it  only  the  oft-repeated 
appeal  of  a  believer  in  "Primitive  Christianity."  Purity 


82 SAVONAROLA 

of  life,  sincerity,  simplicity,  earnestness,  loyalty  to  God 
and  love  to  man — these  are  very  old  themes,  yet  they 
can  never  die.  Zeal  can  always  fan  them  into  flame. 
Q  Savonarola  was  an  unconscious  part  of  the  great 
"humanist"  movement. 

Savonarola,  John  Knox,  the  Wesleys,  Calvin,  Luther, 
the  Puritans,  Huguenots,  Quakers,  Shakers,  Mennon- 
ites  and  Dunkards — all  are  one.  The  scientist  sees 
species  under  all  the  manifold  manifestations  of  cli 
mate,  environment  and  local  condition. 
Florence  was  a  republic,  but  it  is  only  eternal  vigi 
lance  that  can  keep  a  republic  a  republic.  The  strong 
man  who  assumes  the  reins  is  continually  coming  to 
the  fore,  and  the  people  diplomatically  handled  are 
quite  willing  to  make  him  king,  provided  he  contin 
ues  to  call  himself  "Citizen." 

Lorenzo  de  Medici  ruled  Florence,  yet  occupied  no 
office,  and  assumed  no  title.  He  dictated  the  policy 
of  the  government,  filled  all  the  offices,  and  ministered 
the  finances.  Incidentally  he  was  a  punctilious  Church 
man — obeying  the  formula— and  the  Church  at  Flor 
ence  was  within  his  grasp  no  less  than  the  police. 
The  secret  of  this  power  lay  in  the  fact  that  he  han 
dled  the  "sinews  of  war" — no  man  ever  yet  succeeded 
largely  in  a  public  way  who  was  not  a  financier,  or 
else  one  who  owned  a  man  who  was.  Public  power  is 
a  matter  of  money,  wisely  used. 

To  divert,  amuse  and  please  the  people  is  a  necessity 
to  the  ruler,  for  power  at  the  last  is  derived  from  the 


SAVONAROLA 83 

people,  and  no  government  endures  that  is  not  found 
ed  on  the  consent  of  the  governed.  If  you  would  rule 
either  a  woman  or  a  nation,  you  would  better  gain 
consent.  To  secure  this  consent  you  must  say  "please." 
QThe  gladiatorial  shows  of  Greece,  the  games,  con 
tests,  displays,  all  the  barbaric  splendor  of  proces 
sions,  music,  fetes,  festivals,  chants,  robes  and  fan 
tastic  fol  de  rol  of  Rome — ancient  and  modern — the 
boom  of  guns  in  sham  battles,  coronations,  thrones 
and  crowns  are  all  manifestations  of  this  great  game 
of  power. 

The  people  are  children,  and  must  be  pleased. 
But  eventually  the  people  reach  adolescence — knowl 
edge  comes  to  them — to  a  few  at  least — and  they 
perceive  that  they  themselves  foot  all  bills,  and  pay  in 
sweat  and  tears  and  blood  for  all  this  pomp  of  power. 
QThey  rise  in  their  might,  like  a  giant  aroused  from 
sleep,  and  the  threads  that  bound  them  are  burst 
asunder.  They  themselves  assume  the  reins  of  gov 
ernment,  and  we  have  a  republic. 

And  this  republic  endures  until  some  republican,  com 
ing  in  the  name  of  the  people,  waxes  powerful  and 
evolves  into  a  plutocrat  who  assumes  the  reins,  and 
the  cycle  goes  its  round  and  winds  itself  up  on  the 
reel  of  time. 

Savonarola  thundered  against  the  extravagance,  moral 
riot  and  pomp  of  the  rich — and  this  meant  the  Medici, 
and  all  those  who  fed  at  the  public  trough,  and  prided 
themselves  on  their  patriotism. 


84 SAVONAROLA 

Lorenzo  grew  uneasy,  and  sent  requests  that  the 
preacher  moderate  his  tone  in  the  interests  of  public 
weal.  Savonarola  sent  back  words  that  were  unbe 
coming  in  one  addressing  a  ruler. 

Then  it  was  that  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent,  also  the 
wise  and  wily,  resolved  on  a  great  diplomatic  move. 
Q  He  had  the  fanatical  and  troublesome  monk,  Fra 
Girolamo  Savonarola,  made  Prior  of  the  Monastery 
of  St.  Mark's — success  was  the  weapon  that  would 
undo  him. 

Of  course,  Lorenzo  did  not  act  directly  in  the  matter 
— personally  he  did  not  appear  at  all. 
Now  the  Prior  of  St.  Mark's  had  the  handling  of  large 
sums  of  money,  the  place  could  really  be  the  home  of 
a  prince  if  the  Prior  wished  to  be  one;  and  all  he  had 
to  do  was  to  follow  the  wishes  of  the  Magnificent 
Lorenzo. 

"Promote  him,"  said  Lorenzo,  "and  his  zeal  will 
dilute  itself,  and  culture  will  come  to  take  the  place 
of  frenzy.  Art  is  better  than  austerity,  and  silken  robes 
and  'broidered  chasubles  are  preferable  to  horse-hair 
and  rope.  A  crown  looks  better  than  a  tonsure." 
And  Savonarola  became  Prior  of  St.  Mark's. 
Now  the  first  duty,  according  to  established  custom,  of 
a  newly  appointed  Prior  was  to  call,  in  official  robes, 
and  pay  his  respects  to  Lorenzo,  the  nominal  govern 
or  of  Florence.  It  was  just  a  mere  form,  you  know — 
simply  showing  the  people  that  St.  Mark's  was  still 
loyal  to  the  State. 


SAVONAROLA 85 

Lorenzo  appointed  a  day  and  sent  word  that  at  a  cer 
tain  hour  he  would  be  pleased  to  welcome  the  Prior, 
and  congratulate  him  upon  his  elevation.  At  the  same 
time  the  Prior  was  expected  to  say  mass  in  the  private 
chapel  of  the  governor,  and  bestow  his  blessing  upon 
the  House  of  the  Medici. 

But  Savonarola  treated  the  invitation  to  call  with  dis 
dain,  and  turned  the  messengers  of  Lorenzo  away 
with  scant  courtesy.  Instead  of  joining  hands  with 
Lorenzo  he  preached  a  sermon  at  the  Cathedral,  bit 
terly  arraigning  the  aristocracy,  prophesying  their 
speedy  downfall,  and  beseeching  all  men  who  wished 
to  be  saved  to  turn,  repent,  make  restitution  and 
secure  the  pardon  of  God  ere  it  was  too  late.  The  ser 
mon  shook  the  city,  and  other  addresses  of  the  same 
tenor  followed  daily.  It  was  a  "revival,"  of  the  good 
old  Methodist  kind — and  religious  emotion  drifting 
into  frenzy  is  older  far  than  history. 
The  name  of  Lorenzo  was  not  mentioned  personally, 
but  all  saw  it  was  a  duel  to  death  between  the  plain 
people  and  the  silken  and  perfumed  rulers.  It  was  the 
same  old  fight — personified  by  Savonarola  on  one 
side  and  Lorenzo  on  the  other. 

Lorenzo  sunk  his  pride  and  went  to  St.  Mark's  for  an 
interview  with  the  Prior.  He  found  a  man  of  adamant 
and  iron,  one  blind  and  deaf  to  political  logic,  one  who 
scorned  all  persuasion  and  in  whose  lexicon  there 
was  no  such  word  as  expediency. 
Lorenzo  turned  away  whipped  and  disappointed — the 


86 


SAVONAROLA 


prophecies  of  impending  doom  had  even  touched  his 
own  stout  heart.  He  was  stricken  with  fever,  and  the 
extent  of  his  fear  is  shown,  that  in  his  extremity  he 
sent  for  the  Prior  of  St.  Mark's  to  come  to  his  bedside. 
QEven  there,  Savonarola  was  not  softened.  Before 
granting  absolution  to  the  sick  man,  he  demanded 
three  things.  "First,  you  must  repent  and  feel  a  true 
faith  in  God,  who  in  his  mercy  alone  can  pardon." 
QLorenzo  assented. 

"Second,  you  must  give  up  your  ill-gotten  wealth  to 
the  people." 

Lorenzo  groaned,  and  finally  reluctantly  agreed. 
"Third,  you  must  restore  to  Florence  her  liberty." 
Q Lorenzo  groaned  and  moaned,  and  turned  his  face 

to  the  wall. 

Savonarola  grimly  waited  half  an  hour,  but  no  sign 
coming  from  the  stricken  man,  he  silently  went  his 
way.  Q  The  next  day  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent,  aged 
forty-two,  died— died  unabsolved. 


SAVONAROLA 


ORENZO  left  three  sons.  The 
eldest  was  Pietro,  just  approach 
ing  his  majority,  who  was  the 
recognized  successor  of  his  father. 
The  second  son  was  Giuliano  who 
had  already  been  made  a  cardinal 
at  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  who 
was  destined  to  be  the  powerful 
Pope,  Leo  X. 

The  death  of  Lorenzo  had  been  indirectly  foretold  by 
Savonarola,  and  now  some  of  his  disciples  were  not 
slow  in  showing  an  ill-becoming  exultation.  They 
said,  "I  told  you  so!"  The  intensity  of  the  revival 
increased,  and  there  was  danger  of  its  taking  on  the 
form  of  revolution. 

Savonarola  saw  this  mob  spirit  at  work,  and  for  a 
time  moderated  his  tone.  But  there  were  now  occa 
sional  outbreaks  between  his  followers  and  those  of  the 
Medici.  A  guard  was  necessary  to  protect  Savonarola 
as  he  passed  from  St.  Mark's  to  the  different  churches 
where  he  preached.  The  police  and  soldiers  were  on 
the  side  of  the  aristocracy  who  supported  them. 
The  Pope  had  been  importuned  to  use  his  influence 
to  avert  the  threatened  harm  to  "true  religion."  Sav 
onarola  should  be  silenced,  said  the  aristocrats,  and 
that  speedily. 

A  letter  came  from  Pope  Alexander,  couched  in  most 
gentle  and  gracious  words,  requesting  Savonarola  to 
come  to  Rome,  and  there  give  exhibition  of  his  won- 


88  SAVONAROLA 

drous  gifts.  Q Savonarola  knew  that  he  was  dealing 
with  a  Borgia — a  man  who  cajoled,  bought  and 
bribed,  and  when  these  failed  there  were  noose,  knife 
and  poison  close  at  hand.  The  Prior  of  St.  Mark's 
could  deal  with  Lorenzo  in  Florence,  but  with  Alex 
ander  at  Rome  he  would  be  undone.  The  iniquities  of 
the  Borgia  family  far  exceeded  the  sins  of  the  Medici, 
and  in  his  impassioned  moments  Savonarola  had 
said  as  much. 

At  Rome  he  would  have  to  explain  these  things — and 
to  explain  them,  would  be  to  repeat  them.  Alexander 
stood  for  nepotism,  which  is  the  sugared  essence  of 
that  time-honored  maxim,  "To  the  victor  belong  the 
spoils."  The  world  has  never  seen  so  little  religion  and 
so  much  pretence  as  during  the  reign  of  the  Borgias. 
Q  At  this  time  when  offenders  were  called  to  Rome,  it 
sometimes  happened  that  they  were  never  again 
heard  from.  Beneath  the  Castle  St.  Angelo  were  dun 
geons — no  records  were  kept — and  the  stories  told  of 
human  bones  found  in  walled-up  cells  are  no  idle 
tales.  An  iron  collar  circling  the  neck  of  a  skeleton 
that  was  once  a  man  is  a  sight  these  eyes  have  seen. 
<3[  Prison  records  open  to  the  public,  are  a  compara 
tively  new  thing,  and  the  practice  of  "  doctoring "  a 
record  has,  until  recently,  been  quite  in  vogue. 
Savonarola  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  the  Pope's 
request,  but  made  excuses,  and  asked  for  time. 
Alexander  certainly  did  all  he  could  to  avoid  an 
open  rupture  with  the  Prior  of  St.  Mark's.  He  was  in- 


SAVONAROLA 89 

wardly  pleased  when  Savonarola  affronted  the  Medici 
—  it  was  a  thing  he  dared  not  do — and  if  the  religious 
revival  could  be  localized  and  kept  within  bounds,  all 
would  have  been  well.  It  had  now  gone  far  enough; 
if  continued,  and  Rome  should  behold  such  scenes  as 
Florence  had  witnessed,  the  Holy  See  itself  would 
not  be  safe. 

Alexander  accepted  the  excuses  of  Savonarola  with 
much  courtesy.  Soon  word  came  that  the  Prior  of  St. 
Mark's  was  to  be  made  a  cardinal,  but  the  gentle  hint 
went  with  the  message,  that  the  red  hat  was  to  be  in 
the  nature  of  a  reward  for  bringing  about  peace  at 
Florence. 

Peace!  Peace!  how  could  there  be  peace  unless  Sav 
onarola  bowed  his  head  to  the  rule  of  the  aristocrats? 
QHis  sermons  were  often  interrupted — stones  were 
thrown  through  the  windows  when  he  preached.  The 
pulpit  where  he  was  to  speak  had  been  filled  with 
filth,  and  the  skin  of  an  ass  tacked  over  the  sacred 
desk.  Must  he  go  back? 

To  the  offer  of  the  cardinal's  hat  he  sent  this  message : 
"No  hat  will  I  have  but  that  of  a  martyr  reddened 
with  my  own  blood." 

The  tadlics  of  the  Pope  now  changed,  he  sent  an  im 
perative  order  that  Savonarola  should  present  himself 
at  Rome,  and  give  answer  to  the  charges  there  made 
against  him. 

Savonarola  silently  scorned  the  message. 
The  Pope  was  still  patient.  He  would  waive  the  insult 


go S  A  V  ON  A  R  O  L  A 

to  himself,  if  Florence  would  only  manage  to  take  care 
of  her  own  troubles.  But  importunities  kept  coming 
that  Savonarola  should  be  silenced — the  power  of  the 
man  had  grown  until  Florence  was  absolutely  under 
his  subjection.  Bonfires  of  pictures,  books  and  statu 
ary  condemned  by  him,  had  been  burned  in  the  streets; 
and  the  idea  was  carried  to  Rome  that  there  was  dan 
ger  of  the  palaces  being  pillaged.  Florence  could  deal 
with  the  man,  but  would  not  so  long  as  he  was  legally 
a  part  of  the  Church. 

Then  it  was  that  the  Pope  issued  his  Bull  of  excom 
munication,  and  the  order  removing  Savonarola  from 
his  office  as  Prior  of  St.  Mark's. 

The  answer  of  Savonarola  was  a  sermon  in  the  form 
of  a  defiance.  He  claimed,  and  rightly,  that  he  was  no 
heretic — no  obligations  that  the  Church  asked  had  he 
ever  disregarded,  and  therefore  the  Pope  had  no  right 
to  silence  him. 

He  made  his  appeal  to  the  rulers  of  the  world,  and 
declared  that  Alexander  was  no  Pope,  because  he  had 
deliberately  bought  his  way  to  the  Vatican. 
There  was  now  a  brief  struggle  between  the  authori 
ties  of  the  Pope  and  those  of  Florence  as  to  who 
should  have  the  man.  The  Pope  wanted  him  to  be 
secretly  captured  and  taken  to  Rome  for  trial.  Alex 
ander  feared  the  publicity  that  Florence  would  give 
to  the  matter — he  knew  a  shorter  way. 
But  Florence  stood  firm.  Savonarola  had  now  retired 
to  St.  Mark's  and  his  followers  barricaded  the  posi- 


SAVONAROLA 91 

tion.  The  man  might  have  escaped,  and  the  authori 
ties  hoped  he  would,  but  there  he  remained,  holding 
the  place,  and  daily  preaching  to  the  faithful  few  who 
stood  by  him. 

Finally  the  walls  were  stormed,  and  police,  soldiers 
and  populace  overran  the  monastery.  Savonarola  re 
mained  passive,  and  he  even  reproved  several  of  the 
monks  who,  armed  with  clubs,  made  stout  resistance. 
CJThe  warrants  for  arrest  called  only  for  Fra  Girol- 
amo,  Fra  Domenico  and  Fra  Silvestro — these  last 
being  his  most  faithful  disciples,  preaching  often  in 
his  pulpit  and  echoing  his  words. 

The  prisoners  were  bound  and  hurried  through  the 
streets  toward  the  Piazzo  Signoria.  The  soldiers  made 
a  guard  of  spears  and  shields  around  them,  but  this 
did  not  prevent  their  being  pelted  with  mud  and  stones. 
QThey  were  lodged  in  separate  cells,  in  the  prison 
portion  of  the  Palazzo  Vecchio,  and  each  was  impor 
tuned  to  recant  the  charges  made  against  the  Pope 
and  the  Medici.  All  refused,  when  even  told  that  the 
others  had  recanted. 

Savonarola's  judges   were   chosen   from   among   his 
most  bitter  foes.  He  was  brought  before  them,  and 
ordered  to  take  back  his  accusations. 
He  remained  silent. 
Threatened,  he  answered  in  parable. 
He  was  then  taken  to  the  torture  cell,  stripped  of  all 
clothing,  and  a  thin,  strong  rope  passed  under  his 
arms.  He  was  suddenly  drawn  up,  and  dropped. 


92 SAVONAROLA 

This  was  repeated  until  the  cord  around  the  man's 
body  cut  the  skin  and  his  form  was  covered  with  blood. 
QTThe  physically  sensitive  nature  of  the  man  gave 
way  and  he  recanted. 

Being  taken  to  his  cell  he  repeated  all  he  had  said 
against  the  Pope,  and  called  aloud,  "Lord  Jesus,  par 
don  me  that  I  forsook  thy  truth — it  was  the  torture 
—  I  now  repeat  all  I  ever  said  from  thy  pulpit — Lord 
Jesus,  pardon!" 

Again  he  was  taken  to  the  torture  chamber  and  all 
was  gone  over  as  before. 

He  and  his  two  companions  were  now  formally  con 
demned  to  death  and  their  day  of  execution  set. 
To  know  the  worst  is  peace — it  is  uncertainty  that  kills. 
QA  great  calm  came  over  Savonarola— he  saw  the 
gates  of  Heaven  opening  for  him.  He  was  able  now 
to  sleep  and  eat.  The  great  brown  eyes  beamed  with 
love  and  benediction,  and  his  hands  were  raised  only 
in  blessing  to  friend  and  foe  alike. 

The  day  of  execution  came,  and  the  Piazza  Signoria 
was  rilled  with  a  vast  concourse  of  people.  Every 
spare  foot  of  space  was  taken.  Platforms  had  been 
erected  and  seats  sold  for  fabulous  prices.  Every  win 
dow  was  filled  with  faces. 

An  elevated  walk  had  been  built  out  from  the  second 
story  of  the  prison  to  the  executioner's  platform.  From 
this  high  scaffold  rose  a  great  cross  with  ropes  and 
chains  dangling  from  the  arms.  Below  were  piled 
high  heaps  of  fagots,  saturated  with  oil. 


SAVONAROLA 93 

There  was  a  wild  exultant  yell  from  the  enemies  of 
the  men  on  their  appearance,  but  others  of  the  ad 
versary  appeared  dazed  at  their  success,  and  it 
seemed  for  a  few  moments  as  if  pity  would  take 
the  place  of  hate,  and  the  mob  would  demand  the  re 
lease  of  the  men. 

The  prisoners  walked  firmly  and  conversed  in  under 
tone,  encouraging  each  other  to  stand  firm.  Each  held 
a   crucifix   and   pressed   it   to  his  lips,  repeating  the 
creed.  Half  way   across   to   the    gibbet,  they    were 
stopped,   the   crucifixes  torn  from  their   hands,  and 
their  priestly  robes  stripped  from  them.  There  they 
stood,  clad  only  in  scant  underclothes,  in  sight  of  the 
mob   that   seethed  and   mocked.    Sharp   sticks   were 
thrust  up   between  the  crevices  of  the  board  walk, 
so  blood  streamed  from  their  bare  feet. 
Having  advanced  so  that  they  stood  beneath  the  gib 
bet,  their  priestly  robes  were  again  thrown  over  them, 
and  once  more  torn  off  by  a  bishop  who  repeated  the 
words,  "  Thus  do  I  sever  you  from  the  Church  Mili 
tant  and  the  Church  Triumphant!  " 
"  Not  the  Church  Triumphant !"  answered  Savonar 
ola  in  a  loud  voice,  "  You  cannot  do  that." 
In   order  to   prolong  the   torture   of  Savonarola  his 
companions  were  hanged  first,  before  his  eyes. 
When  his  turn  came  he  stepped  lightly  to  his  place 
between  the  dead  and  swinging  bodies  of  his  breth 
ren.  As  the  executioner  was  adjusting  the  cord  about 
his  neck,  his  great  tender  eyes  were  raised  to  heaven 


94 


SAVONAROLA 


and  his  lips  moved  in  prayer  as  the  noose  tightened. 
<{  The  chains  were  quickly  fastened  about  the  bodies 
to  hold  them  in  place,  and  scarcely  had  the  execu 
tioner  upon  the  platform  slid  down  the  ladders,  than 
the  waiting  torches  below  fired  the  pile  and  the 
flames  shot  heavenward  and  licked  the  great  cross 
where  the  three  bodies  swayed. 
The  smoke  soon  covered  them  from  view. 
Then  suddenly  there  came  a  gust  of  wind  that  parted 
the  smoke  and  flames,  and  the  staring  mob,  now  si 
lent,  saw  that  the  fire  had  burned  the  thongs  that 
bound  the  arms  of  Savonarola.  One  hand  was  uplift 
ed  in  blessing  and  benediction.  So  died  Savonarola. 


SO  HERE  ENDETH  THE  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HOME 
OF  SAVONAROLA,  AS  WRITTEN  BY  ELBERT  HUBBARD, 
THE  TITLE  PAGE,  INITIALS  &  ORNAMENTS  BEING  DE 
SIGNED  BY  SAMUEL  WARNER,  AND  THE  WHOLE  DONE 
INTO  A  BOOK  BY  THE  ROYCROFTERS  AT  THEIR  SHOP, 
WHICH  IS  IN  EAST  AURORA,  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  MARCH, 
IN  THE  YEAR  MCMIII  *•«•*•*•*•*•«•*•*•*•*•*> 


(IT  NO  AGENCY  or  Lecture  Bureau 

J\  has  authority  to  book  engagements  for  Mr. 
Elbert  Hubbard  the  coming  season.  Hereafter 
the  Pastor  will  largely  eliminate  the  eloquence, 
and  work  his  logic  up  into  literature.  Possibly, 
however,  he  may  give  a  few  addresses  on  occa 
sional  trips  he  may  make  for  the  rejuvenation  of 
his  cosmos;  so  if  you  are  desirous  of  Oratorical 
Vibrations,  write  the  Cublet  &  he  may  arrange  it. 

Address  ELBERT  HUBBARD  II. 
East  Aurora,  N.  Y. 

WE  HAVE  A  FEW  SETS  OF 


SPECIALLY  ILLUMINED  AND 

MOUNTED  ON  OAK  PANELS,  MAKING 

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ATTRACTIVE. 

C.  Refer  to  the  regular  list  of  mottoes  and  let  us 
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AN  OPEN  LETTER 

East  Aurora,  February  5,  1903. 

THE  STARR  PIANO  Co., 

Richmond,  Indiana. 

In  the  Roycroft  Shop  we  have  nine 
pianos,  representing  five  different  man 
ufacturers.  These  instruments  cost  us, 
each,  from  three  hundred  to  eight  hun 
dred  dollars.  Three  of  our  pianos  are 
£a>tatT>  and  these  we  have  used  long 
enough  and  hard  enough  to  thoroughly 
test  their  worth  and  quality.  One  of 
my  employees  came  in  yesterday  and 
asked  for  advice  about  buying  a  piano. 
I  said,  "My  suggestion  is  that  you  hitch 
your  ambitions  to  a  £a>tatr!"  So  that  is 
what  I  think  of  your  pianos  and  I  do  not 
care  who  knows  it. 

Fraternally  yours, 

ELBERT  HUBBARD. 


THE  curfew  tolls  the  knell 
of  parting  day; 
The  lowing  herd  winds 

slowly  o'er  the  lea; 
The  plowman  homeward 
plods  his  weary  way, 
And  leaves  the  world  to 
darkness  and  to  me. 

Now  fades  the  glimmering 
landscape  on  the  sight, 
And  all  the  air  a  solemn 

stillness  holds, 
Save  where  the  beetle  wheels 

his  droning  flight, 
And  drowsy  tinklings  lull 
the  distant  folds: 


? 


Savonarola 


GRAY'S   ELEGY 

I  I  l&ppcrptt   (EtuttDit  1  I 

Q  Opposite  this  is  a  page  from  the  Koycroft 
Edition  of  "  Gray's  Elegy."  There  may  have 
been  better,  more  unique,  and  more  artistic 
books  than  this  printed  in  America,  but  we  do 
not  just  remember  what  they  are.  The  sample 
page  shown  does  not  reveal  the  beauty  of  the 
book,  for  of  course  it  is  not  hand-illumined,  and 
the  paper  is  not  equal  to  that  used  in  the  book. 
It  just  kind  of  gives  you  a  chance  to  let  your 
inward  eye  behold  the  wondrous  beauty  of  a 
book,  which  might  have  been  made  in  heaven, 
to  use  the  language  of  Charles  Lamb. 
The  volume  contains  twelve  different  special 
border  designs,  all  hand-illumined.  Bound  in 
limp  chamois,  silk  lined.  Yery  suitable  for  an 
Easter  gift,  wedding  or  anniversary  present. 
Q  Price  of  the  book  is  Three  Dollars,  sent  to 
the  Faithful  on  suspicion. 

THE  ROYCROFTERS 

EAST  AURORA,  NEW  YORK. 


N  POMPEII 

at  the  entrance  to  a  house 
built  over  2,000  years  ago, 
you  will  find  a  sign  set  in 
mosaic  made  from  tiny  pieces 
of  Glass  and  Tile,  reading  "  Beware  of  the 
Dog."  The  man  who  owned  the  house  was 
said  to  be  a  joker,  but  there  is  the  sign,  fresh 
and  distinct  as  when  it  was  placed  there  be 
fore  the  birth  of  Christ. 

Glass  and  Tile  are  proof  against  the  tooth 
of  time — they  do  not  corrode,  do  not  absorb 
moisture,  are  absolutely  antiseptic  and  are 
non-conductors  of  heat  and  electricity.  If 
you  want  things  that  keep,  or  if  you  want 
to  keep  things,  you  must  use  Glass  or  Tile. 
QThe  Wilke  Refrigerator  is  made  to  keep 
things  sweet,  wholesome  and  sanitary.  It  is 
constructed  largely  from  Glass  and  Tile.  Do 
not  trifle  with  health — you  do  not  buy  un 
wholesome  food  !  See  that  your  food  is  kept 
wholesome.  Would  you  know  the  secret  of 
keeping  things — the  health  and  happiness  of 
your  family  included — send  for  catalog  to 

THE   WILKE    MANUFACTURING    CO. 

ANDERSON,  INDIANA 


HEMSKKKKKKKKK! 


A   LIFE  MEMBERSHIP 

IN   THE 


American 
of  Immortals 


2>OUat«—  No  further  dues 
or  assessments,  and  no  liabilities.  Your 
duties  consist  in  living  up  to  your  Ideal 
(as  nearly  as  possible)  and  attending 
the  Annual  Dinner  (if  convenient). 

(  i  )  The  membership  entitles  you  to  one  copy  of  the  Philistine  maga 

zine  for  ninety-  nine  years,  but  no  longer. 

(  2  )  All  the  back  bound  volumes  of  ««  The  Philistine  ."  we  have  on  hand. 

(3)  "  Little  Journeys,"  beginning  with  current  numbers,  and  all  that 
shall  be  issued  in  future. 

(4)  Such  other  books,  pamphlets,  addresses  and  documents  as  the 
Roycrofters  may  elect  to  send  you  Every  Little  While. 

(5)  Success,  Health  and  Love  Vibrations,  sent  daily  by  the  Pastor  or 
AH  Baba. 

|  ADDRESS  THE  BURSAR,  EAST  AURORA,  NEW  YORK 


VLittlt 

TO  THE  HOMES  OF  EMINENT  ORATORS 

MARTIN  LUTHER 


Vol.  XII.  APRIL,  1903.  No.  4 


By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 


Single  Copies,  25  cents  By  the  Year,  $3.00 


LITTLE   JOURNEYS 

BY     ELBERT     HUBBARD      FOR 

1903     WILL     BE     TO     THE     HOMES      OF 

EMINENT    ORATORS 

SUBJECTS  AS  FOLLOWS: 

1  Pericles  7  Marat 

2  Mark  Antony  8  Robert  Ingersoll 

3  Savonarola  9  John  Randolph 

4  Martin  Luther  10  Thomas  Starr  King 

5  Edmund  Burke  11  Henry  Ward  Beecher 

6  William  Pitt  12  Wendell  Phillips 

One  booklet  a  month  will  be  issued  as  usual,  beginning  on 
January  1st. 

The  LITTLE  JOURNEYS  for  1903  will  be  strictly  de  luxe  in 
form  and  workmanship.  The  type  will  be  a  new  font  of  antique 
blackface;  the  initials  designed  especially  for  this  work;  a 
frontispiece  portrait  from  the  original  drawing  made  at  our 
Shop.  The  booklets  will  be  stitched  by  hand  with  silk. 
The  price — 25  cerrtfr  each,  or  $3.00  for  the  year. 

Address    THE     ROYCROFTERS     at    their 
Shop,    which   is   at    East    Aurora,   New  York 

Entered   at  the  postoffice   at   East  Aurora,  New   York,  for  transmission 
as    second-class    mail    matter.   Copyright,     1902,    by    Elbert    Hubbard. 


The  Magazine 
PEDESTAL 

shown  herewith  has  been 
about  the  best  selling  piece  of 
furniture  we  have  made.  It 
is  artistic,  serviceable,  and 
withal  very  beautiful.  The 
pedestal  is  of  oak,  hand-made 
and  is  5  feet  3  inches  in 
height.  The  price  is  $20.00. 
The  old  carpenter  has 
just  finished  half  a  dozen, 
three  being  in  light  brown 
and  three  in  weathered  oak. 
If  these  are  all  sold  when 
your  order  comes,  we  can 
make  you  one  in  about  ten 
days. 


ADDRESS 

THE  ROYCROFTERS 

EAST  AURORA  New  York 


FAT  BABIES 
Are  Famous  Sleepers 


The  saying :  "  Sleepy  as  a  fat  baby  "  expresses  a  good 
deal,  for  fat  babies  are  famous  little  fellows  to  sleep. 
What  a  contrast  is  their  refreshing  rest  to  the  pitch 
ing  and  tossing  of  a  sleepless  coffee  drinker.  A  good 
elder  of  Springfield,  111.,  found  a  way  to  bring  refresh 
ing  sleep  in  place  of  insomnia.  "Until  three  years 
ago,"  he  says,  "for  fifteen  years  I  was  troubled  with 
a  throbbing  in  my  stomach,  was  very  nervous,  kid 
neys  out  of  order,  troubled  with  severe  headaches 
and  dreadful  insomnia. 

"After  trying  all  sorts  of  remedies,  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  my  troubles  were  the  result  of  drink 
ing  coffee,  and  seeing  an  article,  in  the  paper  about 
Postum  I  determined  to  try  it.  So  I  quit  coffee  and 
took  on  Postum.  It  agreed  with  me  from  the  first  cup. 
At  first  I  drank  it  diluted,  then  pure.  I  relished  it,  too, 
and  to  my  great  joy  I  was  soon  free  from  stomach 
trouble,  nervousness  all  gone  and  head  clear,  and  in 
stead  of  being  wakeful  for  half  the  night  I  sleep  like  a 
fat  baby  and  get  up  in  the  morning  refreshed.  This  I 
owe  to  having  quit  coffee  and  taken  to  drinking  Pos 
tum."  Name  furnished  by  Postum  Company,  Battle 
Creek,  Mich. 

Nothing  marvelous  about  it,  but  there  is  a  reason.  It 
healthy  sound  sleep  is  worth  anything  to  you,  drop 
coffee  and  give  Postum  a  short  trial  —  say  ten  days. 
That  will  tell  the  tale'. 


Little 

3ounncys 

|To  the  Homes  of 

EMINENT 
[ORATORS 


Ulnitten  by  Elbettt 
Hubbattd  &  done 
into  a  Book  by  the 
Roycnofters  at  the 
Shop,  lohich  is  in 


Yoitk,  n.  D.  1903 


NLY  slaves  die  of  overwork.  Work  a  weariness,  a  danger, 
forsooth  !  Those  who  say  so  can  know  very  little  about  it. 
Labor  is  neither  cruel  nor  ungrateful;  it  restores  the 
strength  we  give  it  a  hundred-fold  and,  unlike  yourfman- 
cial  operations,  the  revenue  is  what  brings  in  the  capital. 


Put  soul  into  your  work  and  joy  and  health  will  be  yours ! 


LUTHER. 


Martin    L  u  t  li  e  r 


MARTIN     LUTHER 95 

|HE  idea  of  the  monastery  is  as  old  as 
man,  and  its  rise  is  as  natural  as  the 
birth  and  death  of  the  seasons. 
We  need  society,  and  we  need  solitude. 
But  it  happens  again  and  again  that  man 
gets  a  surfeit  of  society — he  is  thrown 
with  those  who  misunderstand  him,  who 
thwart  him,  who  contradict  his  nature, 
who  bring  out  the  worst  in  his  disposi 
tion:  he  is  sapped  of  his  strength,  and 
then  he  longs  for  solitude.  He  would  go 
alone  up  into  the  mountain.  What  is 
called  the  "monastic  impulse"  comes 
over  him — he  longs  to  be  alone — alone 
with  God. 

The  monastic  impulse  can  be  traced 
back  a  thousand  years  before  Christ: 
the  idea  is  neither  Christian,  Jewish, 
Philistine,  nor  Buddhist.  Every  people 
of  which  we  know  have  had  their  her 
mits  and  recluses. 

The  communal  thought  is  a  form  of 
monasticism — it  is  a-getting  away  from 
the  world.  Monasticism  does  not  neces 
sarily  imply  celibacy,  but  as  unrequited 
or  misplaced  love  is  usually  the  pre 
cursor  of  the  monastic  impulse,  celibacy 
or  some  strange  idea  on  the  sex  problem 
usually  is  in  evidence. 


96 MARTIN     LUTHER 

Monasticism  has  many  forms :  College  Settlements, 
Zionism,  Deaconess  Homes,  Faith  Cottages,  Shaker- 
ism,  Mormonism  are  all  manifestations  of  the  impulse 
to  get  away  from  the  world,  and  still  benefit  the  world 
by  standing  outside  of  it.  This  desire  to  get  away  from 
the  world  and  still  mix  in  it,  shows  that  monasticism 
is  not  quite  sincere — we  want  society  no  less  than  we 
want  solitude.  Very  seldom,  indeed,  has  a  monk 
ever  gone  away  and  remained :  he  comes  back  to  the 
world,  occasionally,  to  beg,  or  sell  things,  and  to  "do 
good."<T  4T 

The  rise  of  the  Christian  monastery  begins  with  Paul 
the  Hermit,  who  in  the  year  250  withdrew  to  an  oasis 
in  the  desert,  and  lived  in  a  cave  before  which  was  a 
single  palm-tree,  and  a  spring. 

Other  men  worn  with  strife,  tired  of  stupid  misunder 
standing,  persecution  and  unkind  fate,  came  to  him. 
And  there  they  lived  in  common.  The  necessity  of 
discipline  and  order  naturally  suggested  themselves, 
so  they  made  rules  that  governed  conduct.  The  day 
was  divided  up  into  periods  when  the  inmates  of  this 
first  monastery  prayed,  communed  with  the  silence, 
worked  and  studied. 

Within  a  hundred  years  there  were  similar  religious 
communities  at  fifty  or  more  places  in  Upper  Egypt. 
Q  Women  have  always  imitated  men,  and  soon  nun 
neries  sprang  up  here  and  there.  In  fact,  the  nunnery 
has  a  little  more  excuse  for  being  than  the  monastery. 
In  a  barbaric  society  an  unattached  woman  needs 


MARTIN     LUTHER 97 

protection,  and  this  she  got  in  the  nunnery.  Even  so 
radical  a  thinker  as  Max  Muller  regarded  the  nunnery 
as  a  valuable  agent  in  giving  dignity  to  woman's  es 
tate.  If  she  was  mistreated  and  desired  protection,  she 
could  find  refuge  in  this  sanctuary.  She  became  the 
Bride  of  Christ,  and  through  the  protection  of  the  con 
vent,  man  was  forced  to  be  civil  and  chivalry  came 
to  take  the  place  of  force. 

Most  monasteries  have  been  mendicant  institutions. 
As  early  as  the  year  500  we  read  of  the  monks  going 
abroad  a-questing,  a  bag  on  their  backs.  They  begged 
as  a  business,  and  some  became  very  expert  at  it,  just 
as  we  have  expert  evangelists  and  expert  debt-raisers. 
They  took  anything  that  anybody  had  to  give.  They 
begged  in  the  name  of  the  poor;  and  as  they  traveled 
they  undertook  to  serve  those  who  were  poorer  than 
themselves.  They  were  distributing  agents. 
They  ceased  to  do  manual  labor  and  scorned  those 
who  did.  They  traversed  the  towns  and  highways  by 
trios  and  asked  alms  at  houses  or  of  travelers.  Occa 
sionally  they  carried  cudgels,  and  if  such  a  pair  asked 
for  alms  it  was  usually  equal  to  a  demand.  These 
monks  made  acquaintances,  they  had  their  friends 
among  men  and  women,  and  often  being  far  from  home 
they  were  lodged  and  fed  by  the  householders.  In 
some  instances  the  alms  given  took  the  form  of  a  tax 
which  the  sturdy  monks  collected  with  startling  reg 
ularity.  We  hear  of  their  dividing  the  country  up  into 
districts,  and  each  man  having  a  route  that  he  jeal- 


98 MARTIN     LUTHER 

ously  guarded.  Q  They  came  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
— they  were  supposed  to  have  authority.  They  said, 
"He  who  giveth  to  the  poor  lendeth  to  the  Lord." 
They  blessed  those  who  gave ;  and  cursed  those  who 
refused.  Some  of  them  presumed  to  forgive  the  sins 
of  those  who  paid.  And  soon  the  idea  suggested  itself 
of  forgiving  in  advance,  or  granting  an  indulgence. 
They  made  promises  of  mansions  in  the  skies  to  those 
who  conformed,  and  threatened  with  the  pains  of  hell 
those  who  declined  their  requests.  So  the  monks  occa 
sionally  became  rich. 

And  when  they  grew  rich  they  often  became  arrogant, 
dictatorial,  selfish,  gluttonous  and  licentious.  They 
undertook  to  manage  the  government  which  they  had 
before  in  their  poverty  renounced.  They  hired  serv 
ants  to  wait  upon  them.  The  lust  of  power  and  the 
lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  pride  of  the  heart  all  became 
manifest. 

However,  there  were  always  a  few  men,  pure  of  heart 
and  earnest  in  purpose,  who  sought  to  stem  the  evil 
tendencies.  And  so  the  history  of  monasticism  and  the 
history  of  the  Church  is  the  record  of  a  struggle  against 
idleness  and  corruption.  To  shave  a  man's  head,  give 
him  a  new  name,  and  clothe  him  in  strange  garments, 
does  not  change  his  nature.  Monks  grown  rich  and 
powerful  will  become  idle,  and  the  vows  of  poverty, 
chastity  and  obedience  are  then  mere  jokes  and  jests. 
QNo  man  knew  this  better  than  Benedict  who  lived 
in  the  Sixth  Century.  The  profligacy,  ignorance  and 


MARTIN     LUTHER 99 

selfishness  of  the  fat  and  idle  monks  appalled  him. 
With  the  aid  of  Cassiodorus  he  set  to  work  to  reform 
the  monasteries  by  interesting  the  inmates  in  beauti 
ful  work.  Cassiodorus  taught  men  to  write,  illumine 
and  bind  books.  Through  Italy,  France  and  Germany 
he  traveled  and  preached  the  necessity  of  manual  la 
bor,  and  the  excellence  of  working  for  beauty.  The  art 
impulse  in  the  nunneries  and  monasteries  began  with 
Benedict  and  Cassiodorus,  who  worked  hand  in  hand 
for  beauty,  purity  and  truth.  Benedict  had  the  greater 
executive  ability,  but  Cassiodorus  had  the  more  far- 
reaching  and  subtle  intellect.  He  anticipated  all  that 
we  have  to  say  to-day  on  the  New  Education — the 
necessity  of  playing  off  one  faculty  of  the  mind  against 
another  through  manual  labor,  play  and  art  creation. 
He  even  anticipated  the  primal  idea  of  the  Kinder 
garten,  for  he  said,  "The  pleasurable  emotion  that 
follows  the  making  of  beautiful  forms  with  one's  hands 
is  not  a  sin,  like  unto  the  pleasure  that  is  gained  for 
the  sake  of  pleasure — rather  to  do  good  and  beautiful 
work  is  incense  to  the  nostrils  of  God." 
In  all  Benedictine  monasteries  flagellations  ceased, 
discipline  was  relaxed,  and  the  inmates  were  enjoined 
to  use  their  energies  in  their  work,  and  find  peace  by 
imitating  God,  and  like  Him,  creating  beautiful  things. 
Q  Beautiful  book-making  traces  its  genesis  directly  to 
Benedict  and  Cassiodorus. 

But  a  hundred  years  after  the  death  of  these  great 
men,  the  necessity  of  reform  was  as  great  as  ever, 


ioo MARTIN     LUTHER 

and  other  men  took  up  the  herculean  task.  QAnd  so 
it  has  happened  that  every  century  men  have  arisen 
who  protested  against  the  abuses  inside  the  Church. 
The  Church  has  tried  to  keep  religion  pure,  but  when 
she  has  failed  and  scandalized  society  at  large,  gov 
ernments  have  taken  the  matter  up,  and  the  monas 
teries  were  wiped  out  of  existence  and  their  property 
confiscated.  Since  the  Fifteenth  Century,  regularly 
once  every  hundred  years,  France  has  driven  the 
monks  from  her  borders,  and  in  this  year  of  our  Lord 
1903  she  is  doing  what  Napoleon  did  a  hundred  years 
ago ;  what  Cromwell  did  in  England  in  1645 ;  what  has 
been  done  time  and  again  in  every  corner  of  Chris 
tendom. 

Martin  Luther's  quarrel  with  the  Church  began  sim 
ply  as  a  protest  against  certain  practices  of  the  monks, 
and  that  his  protests  should  develop  into  a  something 
called  "Protestantism"  was  a  thing  he  never  for  a 
moment  anticipated,  or  desired.  He  had  no  thought  of 
building  an  institution  on  negation ;  and  that  he  should 
be  driven  from  the  Church  because  he  loved  the 
Church  and  was  trying  to  purify  and  benefit  it,  was  a 
source  to  him  of  deepest  grief. 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


IOI 


ARTIN  LUTHER  was  thirty-five 
years  old.  He  was  short  in  stat 
ure,  inclining  to  be  stout,  strenu 
ous  and  bold.  His  faults  and  his 
virtues  were  all  on  the  surface. 
He  neither  deceived  nor  desired 
to  deceive — the  distinguishing  fea 
ture  of  his  character  was  frank 
ness.  He  was  an  Augustinian 
monk,  serving  as  a  teacher  in  the  University  of  Wit 
tenberg. 

Up  to  this  time  his  life  had  been  uneventful.  His  par 
ents  had  been  very  poor  people — his  father  a  day  la 
borer,  working  in  the  copper  mines.  In  his  boyhood 
Martin  was  "  stubborn  and  intractable,"  which  means 
that  he  had  life  plus.  His  teachers  had  tried  to  repress 
him  by  flogging  him  "fifteen  times  in  a  forenoon,"  as 
he  himself  has  told  us. 

In  childhood  he  used  to  beg  upon  the  streets,  and  so 
he  could  the  better  beg  he  was  taught  to  sing.  This 
rough  early  experience  wore  off  all  timidity  and  put 
"stage -fright"  forever  behind.  He  could  not  remem 
ber  a  time  when  he  could  not  sing  a  song  or  make  a 
speech  &  & 

That  he  developed  all  the  alertness  and  readiness  of 
tongue  and  fist  of  the  street  urchin  there  is  no  doubt. 
Q  When  he  was  taken  into  a  monastery  at  eighteen 
years  of  age,  the  fact  that  he  was  a  good  singer  and  a 
most  successful  beggar,  were  points  of  excellence  that 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


were  not  overlooked.  CJ  That  the  young  man  was  stub 
bornly  honest  in  his  religious  faith,  there  is  not  a  par 
ticle  of  doubt.  The  strength  of  his  nature  and  the  ex 
tent  of  his  passion  made  his  life  in  the  monastery  most 
miserable.  He  had  not  yet  reached  the  point  that  many 
of  the  older  monks  had,  and  learned  how  to  overcome 
temptation  by  succumbing  to  it,  so  he  fasted  for  days 
until  he  became  too  weak  to  walk,  watched  the  night 
away  in  vigils,  and  whipped  his  poor  body  with  straps 
until  the  blood  flowed. 

We  now  think  it  is  man's  duty  to  eat  proper  food,  to 
sleep  at  night,  and  to  care  for  his  body,  so  as  to  bring 
it  to  the  most  perfect  condition  possible—  all  this  that 
he  may  use  his  life  to  its  highest  and  best.  Life  is  a 
privilege  and  not  a  crime. 

But  Martin  Luther  never  knew  of  these  things  and 
there  were  none  to  teach  him,  and  probably  he  would 
have  rejected  them  stoutly  if  they  had  been  presented 

—  arguing  the  question  six  nights  and  days  together. 
Q  The  result  of  all  that  absurd  flying  in  the  face  of 
Nature  was  indigestion  and  its  concomitant,  nervous 
irritability.  These  demons  fastened  upon  him  for  life  ; 
and  we  have  his  -word  for  it  in  a  thousand  places  that 
he  regarded  them  as  veritable  devils  —  thus  does  man 
create  his  devil  in  his  own  image.  Luther  had  visions 

—  he  "saw  things,"  and  devils,  witches  and  spirits 
were  common  callers  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

In  those  early  monastery  days  he  used  to  have  fits  of 
depression  when  he  was  sure  that  he  had  committed 


MARTIN     LUTHER 103 

the  "  unpardonable  sin/'  and  over  and  over  in  his  mind 
he  would  recount  his  short-comings.  He  went  to  con 
fession  so  often  that  he  wore  out  the  patience  of  at 
least  one  confessor,  who  once  said  to  him,  "  Brother 
Martin,  you  are  not  so  much  a  sinner  as  a  fool."  Still 
another  gave  him  this  good  advice,  "  God  is  not  angry 
with  you,  but  He  will  be  if  you  keep  on,  for  you  are 
surely  angry  with  Him — you  better  think  less  about 
yourself  and  more  of  others :  go  to  work ! " 
This  excellent  counsel  was  followed.  Luther  began  to 
study  the  scriptures,  and  the  writings  of  the  saints.  He 
took  part  in  the  disputes  which  were  one  of  the  princi 
pal  diversions  of  all  monasteries. 

Now  a  monk  had  the  privilege  of  remaining  densely 
ignorant,  or  he  could  become  learned.  Life  in  a  mon 
astery  was  not  so  very  different  from  what  it  was  out 
side — a  monk  gravitated  to  -where  he  belonged.  The 
young  man  showed  such  skill  as  a  debater,  and  such 
commendable  industry  at  all  of  his  tasks,  from  scrub 
bing  the  floor  to  expounding  scripture,  that  he  was 
sent  to  the  neighboring  University  of  Erfurt.  From 
there  he  was  transferred  to  the  University  of  'Witten 
berg.  In  the  classes  at  these  universities  the  plan  ob 
tained,  which  is  still  continued  in  all  theological 
schools,  of  requiring  a  student  to  defend  his  position 
on  his  feet.  Knotty  propositions  are  put  forth,  and 
logical  complications  fired  at  the  youth  as  a  necessary 
part  of  his  mental  drill.  Beside  this  there  were  socie 
ties  where  all  sorts  of  abstrusities  and  absurdities 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


were  argued  to  a  stand-still.  QAt  this  wordy  warfare 
none  proved  more  adept  than  Martin  Luther.  He  be 
came  Senior  'Wrangler;  secured  his  degree;  remained 
at  the  college  as  a  post-graduate  and  sub-lecturer; 
finally  was  appointed  a  teacher,  then  a  professor,  and 
when  twenty-nine  years  old  became  a  Doctor  of  The 
ology  *r  4T 

He  took  his  turn  as  preacher  in  the  Schlosskirche, 
which  was  the  School  Chapel,  and  when  he  preached 
the  place  was  crowded.  He  was  something  more  than 
a  monotonous  mumbler  of  words,  he  made  his  ad 
dresses  personal,  direct,  critical.  His  allusions  were 
local,  and  contained  a  deal  of  wholesome  criticism  put 
with  pith  and  point,  well  seasoned  with  a  goodly  dash 
of  rough  and  surprising  wit. 

Soon  he  was  made  District  Vicar  —  a  sort  of  Presiding 
Elder  —  and  preached  in  a  dozen  towns  over  a  circuit  of 
a  hundred  miles.  On  these  tours  he  usually  walked, 
bareheaded,  wearing  the  monk's  robe.  Often  he  was 
attended  by  younger  monks  and  students  who  con 
sidered  it  a  great  privilege  to  accompany  him.  His 
courage,  his  blunt  wit,  his  active  ways  all  appealed  to 
the  youth,  and  often  delegations  would  go  out  to  meet 
him.  Every  college  has  his  kind,  whom  the  bantlings 
fall  down  and  worship  —  fisticuffs  and  books  are  both 
represented  and  a  touch  of  irreverence  for  those  in 
authority  is  no  disadvantage. 

Luther's  lack  of  reverence  for  his  superiors  held  him 
back  from  promotion  —  and  another  thing  was  his  im- 


MARTIN     LUTHER 105 

perious  temper.  He  could  not  bear  contradiction.  The 
orator's  habit  of  exaggeration  was  upon  him,  and  oc 
casionally  he  would  affront  his  best  friends  in  a  way 
that  tested  their  patience  to  the  breaking  point.  "You 
might  become  an  Abbot,  and  even  a  Bishop,  were  it 
not  for  your  lack  of  courtesy,"  wrote  his  Superior  to 
him  on  one  occasion. 

But  this  very  lack  of  diplomacy,  this  indifference  to 
the  opinions  of  others,  this  boldness  of  speech  made 
him  the  pride  and  pet  of  the  students.  Whenever  he 
entered  the  lecture  room  they  cheered  him,  and  often 
they  applauded  him  even  in  church. 
Luther  was  a  "sensational  preacher,"  and  he  was  an 
honest  preacher.  No  doubt  but  that  the  applause  of 
his  auditors  urged  him  on  to  occasional  unseemliness. 
He  acted  upon  his  audiences,  and  the  audience  reacted 
upon  him.  He  thundered  against  the  profligacy  of  the 
rich,  the  selfishness  of  society,  the  iniquities  of  the 
government,  the  excesses  of  the  monks,  the  laxity  of 
discipline  in  the  schools,  and  the  growing  tendency  in 
the  church  to  worship  the  Golden  Calf.  In  some  in 
stances  priests  and  monks  had  married,  and  he  thun 
dered  against  these. 

All  of  the  topics  he  touched  had  been  treated  by  Sav 
onarola  in  Italy,  Wyclif  in  England,  Brenz  at  Heidel 
berg,  Huss  in  Bohemia,  Erasmus  in  Holland  and  But- 
zer  in  Switzerland — and  they  had  all  paid  the  penalty 
of  death  or  exile. 
It  is  well  to  be  bold  but  not  too  bold.  Up  to  a  certain 


io6  MARTIN     LUTHER 

point  the  church  and  society  will  stand  criticism— first 
it  is  diverting,  next  amusing,  then  tiresome,  finally 
heretical — that  is  to  say,  criminal. 
There  had  been  a  good  deal  of  heresy — it  was  in  the 
air— men  were  thinking  for  themselves— the  printing 
presses  were  at  work,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Renais 
sance  was  abroad. 

Martin  Luther  was  not  an  innovator— he  simply  ex 
pressed  what  the  many  wished  to  hear — he  was  caught 
in  the  current  of  the  time :  he  was  part  and  parcel  of 
the  Renaissance. 

And  he  was  a  loyal  Churchman.  None  of  his  diatribes 
were  against  the  Church  itself— he  wished  to  benefit 
the  Church  by  freeing  it  from  the  faults  that  he  feared 
would  disintegrate  it. 

And  so  it  happened  that  on  the  sist  day  of  October, 
1517,  Martin  Luther  tacked  on  the  church  door  at  Wit 
tenberg  his  Ninety-five  Theses. 

The  church  door  was  the  bulletin  board  for  the  Uni 
versity.  The  University  consisted  of  about  five  hun 
dred  students.  Wittenberg  was  a  village  of  three  or 
four  thousand  people,  all  told.  The  Theses  were 
simply  questions  for  discussion,  and  the  proposition 
was  that  Martin  Luther  and  his  pupils  would  defend 
these  questions  against  all  comers  in  public  debate. 
C£  Challenges  of  this  sort  were  very  common,  public 
debates  were  of  weekly  occurrence;  and  little  did 
Martin  Luther  realize  that  this  paltry  half  sheet  of 
paper  was  to  shake  the  world. 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


107 


HE  immediate  cause  of  Luther's 
challenge  was  the  presence  of  a 
Dominican  monk  by  the  name  of 
John  Tetzel.  This  man  was  raising 
money  to  complete  St.  Peter's 
Church  at  Rome,  and  he  was 
armed  with  a  commission  direct 
from  Pope  Leo  X. 
That  Brother  John  was  an  expert 
in  his  line,  no  one  has  ever  denied.  He  had  been  in 
this  business  of  raising  money  for  about  ten  years, 
and  had  built  monasteries,  asylums,  churches  and 
convents.  Beginning  as  a  plain,  sturdy  beggar,  this 
enterprising  monk  had  developed  a  System — not  en 
tirely  new,  but  he  had  added  valuable  improvements. 
Q  There  is  a  whole  literature  on  the  subject  of  the 
"indulgence,"  and  I  surely  have  no  thought  of  adding 
to  the  mighty  tomes  on  this  theme.  But  just  let  me 
briefly  explain  how  John  worked :  When  he  approached 
a  town,  he  sent  his  agents  ahead  and  secured  the  co 
operation  of  some  certain  priest,  under  the  auspices 
of  whose  church  the  place  was  to  be  worked.  This 
priest  would  gather  a  big  delegation  of  men,  women 
and  children,  and  they  would  go  out  in  a  body  to 
meet  the  representative  of  God's  Vicegerent  on  earth. 
The  Pope  could  n't  come  himself,  and  so  he  sent  John 
Tetzel  &  & 

Tetzel  was  carried  on  a  throne  borne  on  the  shoulders 
of  twenty-five  men.  His  dress  outshone  any  robe  ever 


IDS MARTIN     LUTHER 

worn  by  mortal  Pope.  Upon  his  head  was  a  crown, 
and  in  his  hand  a  hollow  golden  sceptre  that  enclosed 
his  commission  from  the  Pope.  In  advance  of  this 
throne  was  carried  an  immense  cross,  painted  red.  As 
the  procession  entered  a  village,  people  would  kneel 
or  uncover  as  the  Agent  of  the  Pope  passed  by;  all 
traffic  would  cease— stores  and  places  of  business 
would  be  closed.  In  the  public  square  or  market  place 
a  stage  would  be  erected,  and  from  this  pulpit  Tetzel 
would  preach. 

The  man  had  a  commanding  presence,  and  a  certain 
rough  and  telling  eloquence.  He  was  the  foremost 
Evangelist  of  his  day.  He  had  a  chorus  of  chanters 
who  wore  bright  robes  and  sang  and  played  harps.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  Moody  and  Sankey  methods 
are  no  new  thing.  Crowds  flocked  to  hear  him,  and 
people  came  for  many  miles. 

Tetzel  reasoned   of  righteousness  and  judgment  to 
come ;  he  told  of  the  horrors  of  sin,  its  awful  penal 
ties  ;  he  pictured  purgatory,  hell  and  damnation. 
Men  cried  aloud  for  mercy,  women  screamed  and  the 
flaming  cross  was  held  aloft. 

Men  must  repent— and  they  must  pay.  If  God  had 
blessed  you,  you  should  show  your  gratitude.  The 
Sacrament  of  Penance  consists  of  three  parts :  Re 
pentance,  Confession,  Satisfaction.  The  intent  of  Pen 
ance  is  educational,  disciplinary  and  medicinal.  If  you 
have  done  wrong,  you  can  make  restitution  to  God, 
whom  you  have  angered,  by  paying  a  certain  sum  to 


MARTIN     LUTHER 109 

his  Agent,  for  a  good  purpose.  QThe  Church  has  never 
given  men  the  privilege  of  wronging  other  men  by 
making  a  payment.  That  is  one  of  the  calumnies  set 
afloat  by  infidels  who  pretend  that  Catholics  worship 
images.  You  can,  however,  show  penitence,  sincerity 
and  gratitude  by  giving.  Any  one  can  see  that  this  is 
quite  a  different  thing  from  buying  an  indulgence. 
This  gift  you  made  was  similar  to  the  "  Wehrgeld," 
or  money  compensation  made  to  the  injured  or  kins 
men  of  those  who  had  been  slain. 

By  giving  you  wiped  out  the  offense,  and  better  still 
you  became  participant  in  all  the  prayers  of  those  to 
whom  you  gave.  If  you  helped  rebuild  St.  Peter's, 
you  participated  in  all  the  masses  said  there  for  the 
repose  of  the  dead.  This  would  apply  to  all  your  kins 
men  now  in  purgatory.  If  you  gave,  you  could  get 
them  out,  and  also  insure  yourself  against  the  danger 
of  getting  in.  Repent  and  show  your  gratitude. 
Tetzel  had  half  a  dozen  Secretaries  in  purple  robes, 
who  made  out  receipts.  These  receipts  were  printed 
in  red  and  gold  and  had  a  big  seal  and  ribbon  attached. 
The  size  of  the  receipt  and  seal  was  proportioned  ac 
cording  to  the  amount  paid — if  you  had  a  son  or  daugh 
ter  in  purgatory,  it  was  wise  to  pay  a  large  amount. 
The  certificates  were  in  Latin  and  certified  in  diffuse 
and  mystical  language  many  things,  and  they  gave 
great  joy  to  the  owners. 

The  money  flowed   in  on  the  Secretaries  in  heaps. 
Women  often  took  their  jewelry  and  turned  it  over 


iio MARTIN     LUTHER 

with  their  purses  to  Tetzel ;  &  the  Secretaries  worked 
far  into  the  night  issuing  receipts— or  what  some 
called  Letters  of  Indulgence. 

That  many  who  secured  these  receipts  regarded  them 
as  a  license  to  do  wrong  and  still  escape  punishment, 
there  is  no  doubt.  Before  Tetzel  left  a  town  his  Sec 
retaries  issued  for  a  sum  equal  to  twenty-five  cents,  a 
little  certificate  called  a  "  Butterbriefe,"  that  allowed 
the  owner  to  eat  butter  on  his  bread  on  fast  days. 
Then  in  the  night  Tetzel  and  his  cavalcade  would 
silently  steal  away,  to  continue  their  good  work  in  the 
next  town.  This  program  was  gone  through  in  hun 
dreds  of  places,  and  the  amount  of  money  gathered  no 
one  knew,  and  what  became  of  it  all,  no  one  could 
guess.  Pope,  Electors,  Bishops,  Priests  and  Tetzel 
all  shared  in  the  benefits.  QTo  a  great  degree  the  same 
plans  are  still  carried  on.  In  Protestant  churches  we 
have  the  professional  Debt  Raiser,  and  the  Evangelist 
who  recruits  by  hypnotic  Tetzel  methods. 
In  the  Catholic  Church  receipts  are  still  given  for 
money  paid,  vouching  that  the  holder  shall  participate 
in  masses  and  prayers,  his  name  put  in  a  window,  or 
engrossed  on  a  parchment  to  be  placed  beneath  a 
corner-stone.  Trinkets  are  sold  to  be  worn  upon  the 
person  as  a  protection  against  this  and  that. 
The  Church  does  not  teach  that  the  Pope  can  forgive 
sin,  or  that  by  mere  giving  you  can  escape  punishment 
for  sin.  Christ  alone  forgives. 
However,  the  Pope  does  decide  on  what  constitutes 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


sin  and  what  not;  and  this  being  true,  for  myself,  I 
do  not  see  why  he  cannot  decide  that  under  certain 
conditions  and  with  certain  men  an  act  is  not  a  sin, 
which  with  other  men  is.  And  surely  if  he  decides  it 
is  not  a  sin,  the  act  thereby  carries  no  penalty.  Thus 
does  the  Pope  have  the  power  to  remit  punishment. 
Either  the  Pope  is  supreme,  or  he  is  not. 
Luther  thought  he  was.  The  most  that  Luther  ob 
jected  to  was  Tetzel's  extreme  way  of  putting  the 
thing.  Tetzel  was  a  Dominican  ;  Luther  was  an  Au- 
gustinian:  and  between  these  two  orders  was  con 
tinual  friction.  Tetzel  was  working  Luther'  s  territory  , 
and  Luther  told  what  he  thought  of  him,  and  issued  a 
challenge  to  debate  him  on  Ninety-five  propositions. 
That  priests  in  their  zeal  should  overstep  their  au 
thority,  and  that  people  should  read  into  the  preach 
ing  much  more  than  the  preacher  intended,  is  not  to 
the  discredit  of  the  Church.  The  Church  cannot  be 
blamed  for  either  the  mistakes  of  Moses,  or  for  the 
mistakes  of  her  members. 

We  have  recently  had  the  spectacle  of  a  noted  Evan 
gelist,  in  Vermont,  preaching  prohibition,  indulging 
in  strong  drink,  and  making  a  bet  with  a  Jebusite  that 
he  would  turn  all  of  his  clothing  wrong  side  out- 
socks,  drawers,  trousers,  undershirt,  shirt,  vest  and 
coat  —  and  preach  with  his  eyes  shut.  The  feat  was 
carried  out,  and  the  preacher  won  the  bet;  but  it 
would  hardly  be  fair  to  charge  this  action  up  against 
either  the  Prohibition  Party  or  the  Protestant  Religion. 


112 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


EVOLUTION  never  depended  on 
anyjane  man.  A  strong  man  is  act 
ed  upon  by  the  thought  of  others — 
he  is  a  sensitive  plate  upon  which 
impressions  are  made  —  and  his 
vivid  personality  gathers  up  these 
many  convictions,  concentrates 
them  into  one  focus,  and  then  ex 
presses  them.  The  great  man  is 
the  one  who  first  expresses  what  the  many  believe. 
He  is  a  voice  for  the  voiceless,  and  gives  in  trumpet 
tones  what' others  would  if  they  could. 
Throughout  Germany  there  was  a  strong  liberal  move 
ment.  To  blindly  obey  was  not  sufficient.  To  go  to 
church,  perform  certain  set  acts  at  certain  times  and 
pay  were  not  enough — these  things  were  all  second 
ary — repentance  must  come  first. 

And  along  comes  John  Tetzel  with  his  pagan  proces 
sions,  supplying  salvation  for  silver!  Martin  Luther 
the  strenuous,  the  impulsive,  the  bold,  quickly  writes 
a  challenge  in  wrath  to  public  disputation.  "If  God 
wills,"  said  Martin  to  a  friend,  "  I  '11  surely  kick  a  hole 
in  his  drum." 

"Within  two  weeks  after  the  Ninety-five  Theses  were 
nailed  to  the  church  door,  copies  had  been  carried  all 
over  Germany,  and  in  a  month  the  Theses  had  gone  to 
every  corner  of  Christendom.  The  local  printing  press 
at  "Wittenberg  had  made  copies  for  the  students,  and 
some  of  these  prints  were  carried  the  next  day  to 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


Leipsic  and  Mainz,  and  at  once  recognized  by  pub 

lishers  as  good  copy.  Luther  had  said  the  things  that 

thousands  had  wanted  to  say.  Tame  enough  are  the 

propositions  to  us  now.  Let  us  give  a  few  of  them: 

Q  The  whole  life  of  the  faithful  disciple  should  be  an 

act  of  repentance. 

Punishment  remains  as  long  as  the  sinner  hates  him 

self. 

The  Pope  neither  can  nor  will  remit  punishment  for 

sin. 

God  must  forgive  first,  and  the  Pope  through  his  priests 

can  then  corroborate  the  remission. 

No  one  is  sure  of  his  own  forgiveness. 

Every  sinner  who  truly  repents  has  a  plenary  remis 

sion  of  punishment  due  him  without  payment  of  money 

to  any  one. 

Every  Christian,  living  or  dead,  has  a  full  share  in  all 

the  wealth  of  the  Church,  without  letters  of  pardon, 

or  receipts  for  money  paid. 

Christians  should  be  taught  that  the  buying  of  pardons 

is  in  no  wise  to  be  compared  to  works  of  mercy. 

To  give  to  a  poor  man  is  better  than  to  pay  money  to 

a  rich  priest. 

Because  of  charity  and  the  works  of  charity,  man  be 

comes  better,  whether  he  pays  money  to  build  a  church 

or  not. 

Pardon  for  sin  is  from  Christ,  and  is  free. 

The  Pope  needs  prayers  for  himself  more  than  ready 

money. 

Christians  should  be  taught  that  the  Pope   does  not 

know  of  the  exactions  of  his  agents  who  rob  the  poor 

by  threat,  otherwise  he  would  prefer  that  St.  Peter's 

should  lie  in  ashes  than  be  built  up  on  the  skin,  bones 

and  flesh  of  his  sheep. 


ii4 MARTIN     LUTHER 

If  the  Pope  can  release  souls  from  purgatory,  why 
does  he  not  empty  the  place  for  love  and  charity  ? 
The  Pope  being  the  richest  man  in  Christendom,  why 
does  he  not  build  St.  Peter's  out  of  his  own  pocket? 

Q  Such  are  the  propositions  that  leaped  hot  from 
Luther's  heart;  but  they  are  not  all  of  one  spirit,  for 
as  he  wrote  he  bethought  himself  that  Tetzel  was  a 
Dominican,  and  the  Dominicans  held  the  key  to  the 
Inquisition.  Luther  remembered  the  fate  of  Huss,  and 
his  inward  eye  caught  the  glare  of  fagots  a-fire.  So 
he  changes  his  tone,  and  to  show  that  he  is  still  a 
Catholic  he  says,  "  God  forgives  no  man  his  sin  until 
the  man  first  presents  himself  to  His  priestly  Vicar." 
C£  Were  it  not  for  such  expressions  as  this  last,  one 
might  assume  that  man  had  no  need  of  the  assistance 
of  priests  or  sacraments,  but  might  go  to  God  direct 
and  secure  pardon.  But  this  would  do  away  with  even 
Martin  Luther's  business,  so  Brother  Martin  affirms, 
"  The  Church  is  necessary  to  man's  salvation,  and  the 
Church  must  have  a  Pope  in  whom  is  vested  Supreme 
Authority. 

"  The  Church  is  not  to  blame  for  the  acts  of  its  selfish, 
ignorant  and  sinful  professors." 

One  immediate  effect  of  the  Theses  was  that  they  put 
a  quietus  on  the  work  of  Brother  John  Tetzel.  Instead 
of  the  people  all  falling  prostrate  on  his  approach, 
many  greeted  him  with  jeers  and  mud-balls.  He  was 
only  a  few  miles  away  from  Wittenberg,  but  news 
reached  him  of  what  the  students  had  in  store,  and 


MARTIN     LUTHER 115 

immediately  he  quit  business  and  went  South.  <r  dT 
But  although  he  did  not  appear  in  person,  Tetzel  pre 
pared  a  counter  set  of  Theses,  to  the  appalling  number 
of  one  hundred  and  thirteen,  and  had  them  printed  and 
widely  distributed.  His  agent  came  to  "Wittenberg  and 
peddled  the  documents  on  the  streets.  The  students 
got  word  of  what  was  going  on  and  in  a  body  captured 
the  luckless  Tetzelite,  led  him  to  the  public  square  and 
burned  his  documents  with  much  pomp  and  circum 
stance.  They  then  cut  off  the  man's  coat-tails,  con 
ducted  him  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  turned  him 
loose  and  cheered  him  lustily  as  he  ran. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  human  heart  is  ever  the 
same,  and  among  college  students  there  is  small 
choice  &  *T 

The  following  Sunday  Luther  devoted  his  whole  ser 
mon  to  a  vigorous  condemnation  of  the  act  of  his  stu 
dents,  admonishing  them  in  stern  rebuke.  The  sermon 
was  considered  the  biggest  joke  of  the  season. 
Tetzel  seemed  to  sink  out  of  sight.  Those  whom  he 
had   sought   to   serve  repudiated  him,  and  Bishops, 
Electors  and  Pope  declined  to  defend  his  cause. 
As  for  Luther,  certain  Bishops  made  formal  charges 
against  him,  sending  a  copy  of  his  Theses  to  Pope  Leo 
X.  The  Holy  Father  refused  to  interfere  in  what  he 
considered  a  mere  quarrel  between  Dominicans  and 
Augustinians,  and  so  the  matter  rested. 
But  it  did  not  rest  long. 


u6 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


HE  general  policy  of  the  Church 
in  Luther's  time  was  not  unlike 
what  it  is  now.  Had  he  gone  to 
Rome,  he  would  not  have  been 
humiliated — the  intent  would  have 
been  to  pacify  him.  He  might  have 
been  transferred  to  a  new  terri 
tory,  with  promise  of  a  prefer 
ment,  even  to  a  Bishopric,  if  he 


did  well.  QTo  silence  men,  excommunicate  them,  de 
grade  them,  has  never  been  done  excepting  when  it 
was  deemed  that  the  safety  of  the  Church  demanded 
it.  QThe  Church,  like  governments— all  governments 
—is  founded  upon  the  consent  of  the  governed.  So 
every  religion,  and  every  government,  changes  with 
the  people— rulers  study  closely  the  will  of  the  people 
and  endeavor  to  conform  to  their  desire.  Priests  and 
preachers  give  people  the  religion  they  wish  for— it  is 
a  question  of  supply  and  demand. 

The  Church  has  constantly  changed  as  the  intelligence 
of  the  people  has  changed.  And  this  change  is  always 
easy  and  natural.  Dogmas  and  creeds  may  remain  the 
same,  but  progress  consists  in  giving  a  spiritual  or 
poetic  interpretation  to  that  which  once  was  taken 
literally.  The  scheme  of  the  Esoteric  and  the  Exoteric 
is  a  sliding,  self-lubricating,  self-adjusting,  non-copy 
righted  invention— perfect  in  its  workings— that  all 
wise  theologians  fall  back  upon  in  time  of  stress. 
QHad  Luther  obeyed  the  mandate  and  gone  to  Rome, 


MARTIN     LUTHER «7 

that  would  have  been  the  last  of  Luther.  Q  Private 
interpretation  is  all  right,  of  course:  the  Church  has 
always  taught  it — the  mistake  is  to  teach  it  to  every 
body.  Those  who  should  know  do  know.  Spiritual 
adolescence  comes  in  due  time,  and  then  all  things 
are  made  plain — be  wise  ! 

But  Luther  was  not  to  be  bought  off.  His  followers 
were  growing  in  number,  the  howls  of  his  enemies 
increased. 

Strong  men  grow  through  opposition — the  plummet 
of  feeling  goes  deeper,  thought  soars  higher — vivid 
and  stern  personalities  make  enemies  because  they 
need  them,  otherwise  they  drowse.  Then  they  need 
friends,  too,  to  encourage — opposition  and  encourage 
ment — thus  do  we  get  the  alternating  current. 
That  Luther  had  not  been  publicly  answered  except 
ing  by  Tetzel's  weak  rejoinders,  was  a  constant  boast 
in  the  liberal  camp ;  and  that  Tetzel  was  only  fit  to 
address  an  audience  of  ignorant  peasantry  was  very 
sure :  some  one  else  must  be  put  forward  worthy  of 
Martin  Luther's  steel. 

Then  comes  John  Eck,  a  priest  and  lawyer,  a  man  in 
intimate  touch  with  Rome,  and  the  foremost  public 
disputant  and  orator  of  his  time.  He  proposed  to  meet 
Luther  in  public  debate.  In  social  station  Eck  stood 
much  higher  than  Luther.  Luther  was  a  poor  college 
professor  in  a  poor  little  University — a  mere  pedagog, 
a  nobody.  That  Eck  should  meet  him  was  a  conde 
scension  on  the  part  of  Eck — as  Eck  explained. 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


They  met  at  the  University  of  Leipsic  —  an  aristo 
cratic  and  orthodox  institution,  Eck  having  refused  to 
meet  Luther  either  at  Erfurt  or  Wittenberg  —  wherein 
Eck  was  wise. 

The  Bishop  at  Leipsic  posted  notices  forbidding  the 
dispute  —  this,  it  is  believed,  on  orders  from  Rome,  as 
the  Church  did  not  want  to  be  known  as  having  mixed 
in  the  matter.  The  Bishop's  notices  were  promptly 
torn  down,  and  Duke  George  decided  that  as  the  dis 
pute  was  not  under  the  auspices  of  the  Church  the 
Bishop  had  no  business  to  interfere. 
The  audience  came  for  many  miles.  A  gallery  was 
set  apart  for  the  nobility.  Thousands  who  could  not 
gain  admittance  remained  outside  and  had  to  be  con 
tent  with  a  rehearsal  of  the  proceedings  from  those 
who  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  seats. 
The  debate  began  June  27th,  1519,  and  continued  daily 
for  thirteen  days. 

Eck  was  commanding  in  person,  deep  of  voice,  suave 
and  terrible  in  turn.  He  had  all  the  graces  and  the 
power  of  a  great  trial  lawyer.  Luther's  small  figure 
and  plain  clothes  were  at  a  disadvantage  in  this  bril 
liant  throng,  yet  we  are  told  that  his  high  and  piercing 
voice  was  heard  much  farther  than  Eck's. 
Duke  George  of  Saxony  sat  on  a  throne  in  state,  and 
acted  as  Master  of  Ceremonies.  Wittenberg  was  in 
the  minority,  and  the  hundred  students  who  had  ac 
companied  Luther  were  mostly  relegated  to  places 
outside,  under  the  windows  —  their  ardor  to  cut  off 


MARTIN     LUTHER 119 

coat-tails  had  quite  abated.  QThe  proceedings  were 
orderly  and  dignified,  save  for  the  marked  prejudice 
against  Luther  displayed  by  Duke  George  and  the  no 
bility  &  & 

Luther  held  his  own:  his  manner  was  self-reliant, 
with  a  touch  of  pride  that  perhaps  did  not  help  his 
cause  &  & 

Eck  led  the  debate  along  by  easy  stages  and  en 
deavored  to  force  Luther  into  anger  and  unseemliness. 
Q  Luther's  friends  were  pleased  with  their  champion — 
Luther  stated  his  case  with  precision  and  Eck  was 
seemingly  vanquished. 

But  Eck  knew  what  he  was  doing — he  was  leading 
Luther  into  a  defense  of  the  doctrines  set  forth  by 
Huss.  And  when  the  time  was  ripe,  Eck,  in  assumed 
astonishment,  cried  out,  "  Why  this  is  exactly  that 
for  which  Huss  the  heretic  was  tried  and  rightly  con 
demned  !"  He  very  skilfully  and  slyly  gave  Luther 
permission  to  withdraw  certain  statements,  to  which 
Luther  replied  with  spirit  that  he  took  back  nothing, 
"and  if  this  is  what  Huss  taught,  why  God  be  praised 
for  Huss."  &  & 

Eck  had  gotten  what  he  wanted — a  defense  of  Huss 
who  had  been  burned  at  the  stake  for  heresy. 
Eck  put  his  reports  in  shape  and  took  them  to  Rome 
in  person,  and  a  demand  was  made  for  a  formal  Bull 
of  Excommunication  against  Martin  Luther. 
Word  came  from  Rome  that  if  Luther  would  amend 
his  ways  and  publicly  disavow  his  defense  of  Huss, 


i2o     MARTIN     LUTHER 

further  proceedings  would  cease.  The  result  was  a 
volley  of  Wittenberg  pamphlets  re-stating,  in  still 
bolder  language,  what  had  already  been  put  forth. 
C{  Luther  was  still  a  good  Catholic,  and  his  quarrel 
was  with  the  abuses  in  the  Church,  not  with  the 
Church  itself.  Had  the  Pope  and  his  advisors  been 
wise  enough  they  would  have  paid  no  attention  to 
Luther,  and  thus  allowed  opinion  inside  the  Church 
to  change,  as  it  has  changed  in  our  day.  Priests  and 
preachers  everywhere  now  preach  exactly  the  things 
for  which  Huss,  Wyclif,  Ridley,  Latimer  and  Tyndale 
forfeited  their  lives. 

But  the  Pope  did  not  correctly  gauge  the  people— he 
did  not  know  that  Luther  was  speaking  for  fifty-one 
per  cent  of  all  Germany. 

Orders  were  given  out  in  Leipsic  from  pulpits,  that 
on  a  certain  day  all  good  Catholics  should  bring  such 
copies  of  Martin  Luther's  books  as  they  had  in  their 
possession  to  the  public  square,  and  the  books  would 
there  be  burned. 

On  October  gth,  the  Bull  of  Excommunication  men 
tioning  Luther  and  six  of  his  chief  sympathizers, 
reached  Wittenberg,  cutting  them  off  from  the  Church 
forever  jf  jf 

Luther  still  continued  to  preach  daily,  and  declared 
that  he  was  still  a  Catholic  and  that  as  popes  had  made 
mistakes  before,  so  had  Pope  Leo  erred  this  time. 
With  the  Bull  came  a  notice  that  if  Luther  would  re 
cant,  the  Bull  would  be  withdrawn  and  Luther  would 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


121 


be  reinstated  in  the  Church.  QTo  'which  Luther  re 
plied,  "  If  the  Bull  is  withdrawn  I  will  still  be  in  the 
Church."  &  4T 

Bonfires  of  Luther's  books  now  burned  bright  in 
every  town  and  city  of  Christendom — even  in  London. 
QThen  it  was  that  Wittenberg  decided  to  have  a 
bonfire  of  its  own.  A  printed  bill  was  issued  calling 
upon  all  students  and  other  devout  Christians  to  as 
semble  at  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  December 
loth,  1520,  outside  the  Elster  gate,  and  witness  a  pious 
and  religious  spectacle.  A  large  concourse  gathered, 
a  pyre  of  fagots  was  piled  high,  the  Pope's  Bull  of 
Excommunication  was  solemnly  placed  on  top,  and 
the  fire  was  lighted  by  the  hand  of  Martin  Luther. 


122 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


HE  Theses  prepared  by  Tetzel  had 
small  sale.  People  had  heard  all 
these  arguments  before,  but  Lu 
ther's  propositions  were  new. 
Everything  that  Luther  said  in 
public  now  was  taken  down,  print 
ed  and  passed  along;  his  books 
were  sold  in  the  market  places 
and  at  the  fairs  throughout  the 


Empire.  Luther  glorified  Germany,  and  referred  often 
to  the  "  Deutsche  Theologie,"  and  this  pleased  the 
people.  The  jealousy  that  existed  between  Italians 
and  Germans  was  fanned. 

He  occasionally  preached  in  neighboring  cities,  and 
always  was  attended  by  an  escort  of  several  hundred 
students.  Once  he  spoke  at  Nuremburg  and  was  en 
tertained  by  that  great  man  and  artist,  Albert  Durer. 
Everywhere  crowds  hung  upon  his  words  and  often 
he  was  cheered  and  applauded,  even  in  churches.  He 
denounced  the  extravagance  and  folly  of  ecclesiasti 
cal  display,  the  wrong  of  robbing  the  poor  in  order  to 
add  to  the  splendor  of  Rome,  he  plead  for  the  right  of 
private  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  and  argued 
the  need  of  repentance  and  a  deep  personal  righteous 
ness  #-  *r 

Not  only  was  Luther  the  most  popular  preacher  of 
that  day,  but  his  books  outsold  all  other  authors.  He 
gave  his  writings  to  whoever  would  print  them,  and 
asked  for  no  copyright  nor  royalties. 


MARTIN     LUTHER 123 

A  request  came  from  the  Pope  that  he  should  appear 

at  Rome  *T  *T 

Such  a  summons  is  considered  mandatory,  and  usu 
ally  this  letter,  although  expressed  in  the  gentlest  and 
most  complimentary  way,  strikes  terror  to  the  heart 
of  the  receiver.  It  means  that  he  has  offended  or 
grieved  the  Head  of  the  Church— God's  Vicegerent  on 
earth  jf  *T 

In  my  own  experience  I  have  known  several  offend 
ing  priests  to  receive  this  summons ;  I  never  knew  of 
one  who  dare  disregard  the  summons ;  I  never  knew 
of  one  who  received  it  who  was  not  filled  with  dire 
foreboding;  and  I  never  knew  an  instance  where  the 
man  was  humiliated  or  really  punished. 
A  few  years  ago  the  American  newspapers  echoed 
with  the  name  of  a  priest  who  had  been  particularly 
bold  in  certain  innovations.  He  was  summoned  to 
Rome  and  this  was  the  way  he  was  treated  as  told  me 
with  his  own  lips;  and  he  further  informed  me  that 
he  ascertained  it  was  the  usual  procedure. 
The  offender  arrives  in  Rome  full  of  the  feeling  that 
his  enemies  have  wrongfully  accused  him,  he  knows 
charges  have  been  filed  against  him,  but  what  these 
charges  are  he  is  not  aware.  He  is  very  much  dis 
turbed  and  very  much  in  a  fog.  His  reputation  and 
character,  aye !  his  future  is  at  stake. 
Before  the  dust  of  travel  is  off  his  clothes,  before  he 
shaves,  washes  his  face  or  eats,  he  appears  at  the 
Vatican  and  asks  for  a  copy  of  the  charges  that  have 


124 MARTIN     LUTHER 

been  brought  against  him.  QOne  of  the  Pope's  nu 
merous  secretaries,  a  Cardinal  possibly,  receives  him 
graciously,  almost  affectionately,  and  welcomes  him  to 
Rome  in  the  name  of  the  Pope.  As  for  any  matter  of 
business,  why  it  can  wait,  the  man  who  has  it  in 
charge  is  out  of  the  city  for  a  day  or  so  —  rest  and 
enjoy  the  splendor  of  the  Eternal  City. 
"Where  is  the  traveler's  lodging?" 
"What?  not  that — here!  " — a  bell  is  rung,  a  messen 
ger  is  called,  the  pilgrim's  luggage  is  sent  for,  and  he 
is  given  a  room  in  the  Vatican  itself,  or  in  one  of  the 
nearby  "Colleges."  A  Brother  is  called  in,  introduced 
and  duly  instructed  to  attend  personally  on  His  Grace 
the  Pilgrim.  Show  him  the  wonders  of  Rome — the 
churches,  art  galleries,  the  Pantheon,  the  Appian  Way, 
the  Capitol,  the  Castle  —  he  is  one  of  the  Church's 
most  valued  servants,  he  has  come  from  afar  —  see 
that  he  has  the  attention  accorded  him  that  is  his  due. 
QThe  Pilgrim  is  surprised,  a  trifle  relieved,  but  not 
happy.  He  remembers  that  those  condemned  to  die 
are  given  the  best  of  food ;  but  he  tries  to  be  patient, 
and  so  he  accepts  the  brother's  guidance  to  see  Rome 
— and  then  die,  if  he  must.  QThe  days  are  crowded 
full — visitors  come  and  go.  He  attends  this  congrega 
tion  andthat — fetes,  receptions,  pilgrimages  follow  fast. 
CJThe  cloud  is  still  upon  him— he  may  forget  it  for  an 
hour,  but  each  day  begins  in  gloom — uncertainty  is 
the  only  hell. 
At  last  he  boldly  importunes  and  asks  that  a  day  shall 


MARTIN     LUTHER 125 

be  set  to  try  his  case.  Q  Nobody  knows  anything  about 
his  case — charges — what  charges !  However,  a  Com 
mittee  of  Cardinals  wish  to  see  him,  why,  yes,  Thurs 
day  at  ten  o'clock! 

He  passes  a  sleepless  night,  and  appears  at  the  time 
appointed,  haggard,  yet  firm,  armed  with  documents. 
QHe  is  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  Cardinals. 
They  receive  him  as  an  equal.  A  little  speech  is  made, 
complimenting  him  on  his  good  work,  upon  his  up 
rightness,  and  ends  by  a  gentle  caution  concerning  the 
wisdom  of  making  haste  slowly. 

Charges  ?  There  are  no  charges  against  the  Pilgrim — 
why  should  there  be !  And  moreover,  what  if  there  are  ? 
Good  men  are  always  maligned.  He  has  been  sum 
moned  to  Rome  that  the  Cardinals  might  have  his 
advice.  QThe  Pope  will  meet  him  to-morrow  in  order 
to  bestow  his  personal  blessing.  CJIt  is  all  over  —  the 
burden  falls  from  his  back.  He  gasps  in  relief  and 
sinks  into  a  chair. 

The  greatness  of  Rome  and  the  kindness  and  courtesy 
he  has  received  have  subdued  him. 
Possibly  there  is  a  temporary,  slight  reduction  of  po 
sition — he  is  given  another  diocese  or  territory,  but 
there  is  a  promise  of  speedy  promotion — there  is  no 
humiliation.  The  man  goes  home  subdued,  conquered 
by  kindness,  happy  in  the  determination  to  work  for 
the  Church  as  never  before.  Cf  Rome  binds  great  men 
to  her — she  does  not  drive  them  away — her  policy  is 
wise,  superbly,  splendidly  wise. 


126 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


UTHER  was  now  beyond  the 
pale  —  the  Church  had  no  further 
power  to  punish  him,  but  agents 
of  the  Church,  being  a  part  of 
the  Government,  might  proceed 
against  him  as  an  enemy  of  the 
State.  QWord  came  that  if  Luther 
would  cease  writing  and  preach 
ing,  and  quietly  go  about  his 
teaching  in  the  University,  he  would  not  be  troubled 
in  any  way. 

This  only  fired  him  to  stronger  expression.  He  issued 
a  proclamation  to  the  German  Nation,  appealing  from 
the  sentence  of  the  Pope,  stating  he  was  an  Augus- 
tinian  monk,  a  Doctor  of  Theology,  a  preacher  of 
truth,  with  no  stain  upon  his  character.  He  declared 
that  no  man  in  Italy  or  elsewhere  had  a  right  to  order 
him  to  be  silent,  and  no  man  or  set  of  men  could  de 
prive  him  of  a  share  in  God's  Kingdom. 
He  called  upon  all  lovers  of  liberty  who  hoped  for 
heaven  to  repudiate  the  "Babylonish  Captivity,"— 
only  by  so  doing  could  the  smile  of  God  be  secured. 
Thus  did  Martin  Luther  excommunicate  the  Pope. 
Q  Frederick  the  Elector  of  Saxony  preserved  a  strictly 
neutral  attitude.  Martin  Luther  was  his  subject,  and 
he  might  have  proceeded  against  him  on  a  criminal 
charge,  and  was  hotly  urged  to  do  so,  but  his  reply 
was,  "Hands  Off." 
The  city  of  Worms  was  at  this  time  the  political 


MARTIN     LUTHER 127 

capital  of  Germany.  A  yearly  congress,  or  Diet,  was 
held  by  the  Emperor  and  his  Electors,  to  consider 
matters  of  special  import  to  the  state. 
As  Frederick  refused  to  proceed  against  Luther,  an 
appeal  was  made  to  the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  asking 
that  Luther  be  compelled  to  appear  before  the  Diet  of 
Worms  and  make  answer  to  the  charges  that  would 
there  be  brought  against  him. 

It  was  urged  that  Luther  should  be  arrested  and  car 
ried  to  Worms  and  there  be  confined  in  the  castle 
until  the  Diet  should  meet;  but  Charles  had  too  much 
respect  for  Frederick  to  attempt  any  such  high-handed 
procedure — it  might  mean  civil  war.  Gladly  would  he 
have  ignored  the  whole  matter,  but  a  Cardinal  from 
Rome  was  at  his  elbow,  sent  purposely  to  see  that 
Luther  should  be  silenced — silenced  as  Huss  was,  if 
necessary.  Charles  was  a  good  Catholic — and  so  was 
the  Elector  Frederick  for  that  matter.  Frederick  was 
consulted  and  agreed  that  if  the  Emperor  would  issue 
a  letter  of  "  safe  conduct "  and  send  a  herald  to  per 
sonally  accompany  Rev.  Dr.  Luther  to  Worms,  the 
Elector  would  consent  to  the  proceedings. 
The  letter  sent  summoning  Luther  to  Worms  was  an 
exceedingly  guarded  document.  It  addressed  the  ex 
communicated  heretic  as  "honorable,  beloved  and 
pious,"  and  begged  him  to  accept  the  company  and 
safe  conduct  of  the  bearer  to  Worms  and  there  kindly 
explain  to  the  Emperor  the  import  of  his  books  and 
doctrines  &  & 


i28  MARTIN     LUTHER 

This  letter  might  have  been  an  invitation  to  a  banquet, 
but  Luther  said  it  was  an  invitation  to  a  holocaust, 
and  many  of  his  friends  so  looked  upon  it.  He  was 
urged  to  disregard  it,  but  his  reply  was,  -Though  the 
road  to  Worms  were  lined  with  devils  I'd  go  just  the 

same."  #*  If 

No  more  vivid  description  of  Luther's  trial  at  Worms 
has   been   given  than  that  supplied  by  Dr.  Charles 
Beard.  This  man  was  neither  Catholic  nor  Protestant, 
so  we  cannot  accuse  him  of  hand-illumining  the  facts 
to  suit  his  fancy.  Says  Dr.  Beard : 
Towards  noon  on  the  i6th  of  April,  1521,  the  watchers 
on  the  tower  gate  of  Worms  gave  notice  by  sound  of 
trumpet  that  Luther's  cavalcade  was  drawing  near. 
First  rode  Deutschland  the  Herald;   next  came  the 
covered  carriage  with  Luther  and  three  friends ;  last 
of  all  Justus  Jonas  on  horseback,  with  an  escort  of 
knights  who  had  ridden  out  from  Worms  to  meet 
them.  The  news  quickly  spread,  and  though  it  was 
dinner  time,  the  streets  were  thronged,  and  two  thou 
sand  men  and  women  accompanied  the  heretic  to  his 
lodging  in  the  house  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John.  Here 
he  was  close  to  the  Elector,  while  his  companions 
in  his  lodging  were  two  Saxon  councillors.  Aleandro 
the   Papal  Nuncio  sent  out   one   of  his   servants   to 
bring  him  news;  he  returned  with  the  report   that 
as    Luther    alighted   from   his   carriage   a   man   had 
taken  him  into   his   arms,    and   having  touched   his 
coat  three  times,  had  gone  away  glorying  as  if  he  had 
touched  a  relic  of  the  greatest  saint  in  the  world.  On 
the  other  hand,  Luther  looked  'round  about  him,  with 
his  demoniac  eyes,  and  said,  "God  will  be  with  me. 


MARTIN     LUTHER 129 

QThe  audience  to  which  Luther  was  summoned  was 
fixed  for  4  p.  m.,  and  the  fact  was  announced  to  him 
by  Ulrich  von  Pappenheim,  the  hereditary  marshal  of 
the  Empire.  When  the  time  came  there  was  a  great 
crowd  assembled  to  see  the  heretic,  and  his  conduct 
ors  Pappenheim  and  Deutschland  were  obliged  to  take 
him  to  the  hall  of  audience  in  the  Bishop's  Palace 
through  gardens  and  by  back  ways.  There  he  was  in 
troduced  into  the  presence  of  the  Estates.  He  was  a 
peasant  and  a  peasant's  son,  who,  though  he  had 
written  bold  letters  to  Pope  and  Prelate,  had  never 
spoken  face  to  face  with  the  great  ones  of  the  land, 
not  even  with  his  own  Elector,  of  whose  good  will  he 
was  assured.  Now  he  was  bidden  to  answer,  less  for 
himself  than  for  what  he  believed  to  be  the  truth  of 
God,  before  the  representatives  of  the  double  author 
ity  by  which  the  world  is  swayed.  The  young  Emperor 
looked  at  him  with  impassive  eyes,  speaking  no  word 
either  of  encouragement  or  rebuke.  Aleandro  repre 
sented  the  still  greater,  the  intrinsically  superior 
power  of  the  successor  of  Peter,  the  Vicar  of  Christ. 
At  the  Emperor's  side  stood  his  brother  Ferdinand, 
the  new  founder  of  the  House  of  Austria,  while  'round 
them  were  grouped  six  out  of  the  seven  Electors,  and 
a  crowd  of  princes,  prelates,  nobles,  delegates  of  free 
cities,  who  represented  every  phase  of  German  and 
ecclesiastical  feeling. 

It  was  a  turning  point  of  modern  European  history, 
at  which  the  great  issues  which  presented  themselves 
to  men's  consciences  were  greater  still  than  they  knew* 
QThe  proceedings  began  with  an  injunction  given  by 
Pappenheim  to  Luther  that  he  was  not  to  speak  unless 
spoken  to.  Then  John  von  Eck,  Official  General  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Trier,  champion  of  the  Leipsic  deputa 
tion,  first  in  Latin,  then  in  German,  put,  by  Imperial 


130 MARTIN     LUTHER 

command,  two  questions  to  Luther.  First,  did  he 
acknowledge  these  books  here  present — showing  a 
bundle  of  books  which  -were  circulated  under  his 
name  —  to  be  his  own?  and,  secondly,  was  he  willing 
to  withdraw  and  recall  them  and  their  contents,  or 
did  he  rather  adhere  to  and  persist  in  them  ?  At  this 
point,  Schurf,  who  acted  as  Luther's  counsel,  inter 
posed  with  the  demand,  "Let  the  titles  be  read."  The 
Official,  in  reply,  recited,  one  by  one,  the  titles  of  the 
books  comprised  in  the  collected  edition  of  Luther's 
works  published  at  Basel,  among  .which  were  the 
Commentaries  on  the  Psalms,  the  Sermon  of  Good 
Works,  the  Commentary  on  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
besides  these,  other  Christian  books,  not  of  a  con 
tentious  kind. 

Upon  this,  Luther  made  answer,  first  in  German,  then 
in  Latin,  that  the  books  were  his. 

The  form  of  procedure  had  been  committed  by  the 
Emperor  to  Eck,  Glapion,  and  Aleandro,  and  it  may 
have  been  by  their  deliberate  intention  that  Luther 
was  now  asked,  whether  he  wished  to  defend  all  the 
books  which  he  had  acknowledged  as  his  own,  or  to 
retract  any  part  of  them?  He  began  his  answer  in 
Latin,  by  an  apology  for  any  mistakes  that  he  might 
make  in  addressing  personages  so  great,  as  a  man 
versed,  not  in  courts,  but  in  monk  cells ;  then,  repeat 
ing  his  acknowledgment  of  the  books,  proceeded  to 
divide  them  into  three  classes.  There  were  some  in 
which  he  had  treated  the  piety  of  faith  and  morals  so 
simply  and  evangelically  that  his  very  adversaries 
had  been  compelled  to  confess  them  useful,  harmless, 
and  worthy  of  Christian  reading.  How  could  he  con 
demn  these  ?  There  were  others  in  which  he  attacked 
the  Papacy  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Papists,  who  both 
by  their  teachings  and  their  wretched  examples  have 


MARTIN     LUTHER 131 

wasted  Christendom  with  both  spiritual  and  corporal 
evil.  Nor  could  any  one  deny  or  dissimulate  this, 
since  the  universal  experience  and  complaint  bear 
witness,  that,  by  the  laws  of  the  Pope  and  the  doc 
trines  of  men,  consciences  are  miserably  ensnared 
and  vexed,  especially  in  this  illustrious  German  na 
tion.  If  he  should  revoke  these  books,  what  would  it 
be  but  to  add  force  to  tyranny,  and  to  open,  not 
merely  the  windows,  but  the  doors  to  so  great  im 
piety?  In  that  case,  good  God,  what  a  cover  of  wick 
edness  and  tyranny  would  he  not  become!  A  third 
class  of  his  books  had  been  written  against  private 
persons,  those,  namely,  who  had  labored  to  protect 
the  Roman  tyranny  and  to  undermine  the  piety  which 
he  had  taught.  In  these  he  confessed  that  he  had  been 
more  bitter  than  became  his  religion  and  profession. 
Even  these,  however,  he  could  not  recall,  because  to 
do  so  would  be  to  throw  his  shield  over  tyranny  and 
impiety,  and  to  augment  their  violence  against  the 
people  of  God.  From  this  he  proceeded  to  ask  for  evi 
dence  against  himself  and  a  fair  trial,  adducing  the 
•words  of  Christ  before  Annas:  "  If  I  have  spoken  evil, 
bear  witness  of  the  evil."  Then,  with  a  touch  of  his 
native  boldness,  he  told  his  audience  that  it  needed  to 
beware  lest  the  reign  of  this  most  excellent  youth, 
Prince  Charles,  should  become  unhappy  and  of  evil 
omen.  "I  might,"  he  continued,  "illustrate  the  matter 
more  copiously  by  Scriptural  examples — as  Pharaoh, 
the  King  of  Babylon,  the  Kings  of  Israel — who  most 
completely  ruined  themselves  at  the  moment  when 
by  wisest  counsels  they  were  zealous  to  strengthen 
and  pacify  their  kingdoms.  For  it  is  He  who  taketh 
the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness,  and  overturns  the 
mountains  before  they  know  it.  Therefore  it  is  need 
ful  to  fear  God.  I  do  not  say  these  things  because  my 


I32  MARTIN     LUTHER 

teaching   or   admonitidh   is  necessary  to  persons  of 
such  eminence,  but  because  I  ought  not  to  withhold 
from  Germany  my  due  obedience.   And  with  these 
things  I  commend  myself  to  your  most  serene  Maj 
esty,  and  to  your  Lordships,  humbly  asking  that  you 
will  not  suffer  me  to  be  brought  into  ill  repute  by  the 
efforts  of  my  adversaries.  I  have  spoken." 
This  speech,  spoken  as  it  was  with  steady  composure 
and  a  voice  that  could  be  clearly  heard  by  the  whole 
assembly,  did  not  satisfy  the  official.  His  first  demand 
was  that,  like  the  question  to  which  it  was  in  answer, 
it  should  be  repeated  in  German.  Next,  Eck  proceeded 
to  point  out  that  Luther's  errors,  which  were  the 
errors  of  former  heretics,  Wyclif,  Huss,  and  the  like, 
had  been  sufficiently  condemned  by  the  Church,  and 
particularly  by  the  Council  of  Constanz.   If  Luther 
were  willing  to  recant  them,  the  Emperor  would  en 
gage  that  his  other  works,  in  which  they  were  not 
contained,  should  be  tenderly  handled:  if  not,  let  him 
recollect  the  fate  of  other  books  condemned  by  the 
Church.  Then,  with  the  customary  exhortation  to  all 
theological  innovators,  not  to  set  their  own  opinions 
against  those  of  apostles,   saints,    and  martyrs,  the 
official  said  that  what  he  wanted  was  a  simple  and 
straightforward  answer;  was  Luther  willing  to  recant 
or  not?  To  which  Luther  replied:  "Since  your  most 
serene  Majesty  and  your  Lordships  ask  for  a  simple 
answer,  I  will  give  it,  after  this  fashion:  Unless  I  am 
convinced  by  witness  of  Scripture  or  plain  reason  (for 
I  do  not  believe  in  the  Pope  or  in  Councils  alone, 
since  it  is  agreed  that  they  have  often  erred  and  con 
tradicted  themselves),  I  am  overcome  by  the  Scrip 
tures  which  I  have  adduced,  and  my  conscience  is 
caught  in  the  word  of  God.  I  neither  can  nor  will  re 
cant  anything,  for  it  is  neither  safe  nor  right  to  act 


MARTIN     LUTHER 133 

against  one's  conscience."  Then  having  given  this 
answer  in  both  languages,  he  added  in  German,  "God 
help  me.  Amen." 

The  semblance  of  trial,  which  alone  was  allowed  to 
Luther,  was  now  over;  it  only  remained  to  pass  sen 
tence.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  igth  of  April  the 
Emperor  summoned  the  Diet  once  more  to  take 
counsel  upon  the  matter.  The  Estates  asked  for  time 
to  deliberate;  on  which  the  Emperor,  replying  that  he 
would  first  give  them  his  own  opinion,  produced  a 
document  written  in  his  own  hand.  Beginning  with 
the  statement  of  his  descent  from  Emperors,  Kings 
of  Spain,  Archdukes  of  Austria,  and  Dukes  of  Bur 
gundy,  all  of  whom  had  lived  and  died  faithful  sons  of 
the  Church  and  defenders  of  the  Catholic  faith,  it  an 
nounced  the  identity  of  his  policy  with  theirs.  What 
ever  his  predecessors  had  decreed  in  matters  ecclesi 
astical,  whatever  had  been  decided  by  the  Council  of 
Constanz  and  other  Councils,  he  would  uphold. 
Luther  had  set  himself  against  the  whole  of  Christen 
dom,  alleging  it  to  be,  both  now  and  for  a  thousand 
years  past,  in  error  and  only  himself  in  possession  of 
the  truth.  The  Estates  had  heard  the  obstinate  answer 
which  he  had  made  the  day  before;  let  him  be  no  fur 
ther  heard,  and  let  him  be  taken  back  whence  he 
came,  the  terms  of  his  safe  conduct  being  carefully 
observed;  but  let  him  be  forbidden  to  preach,  nor 
suffer  to  corrupt  the  people  with  his  vile  doctrine. 
"And  as  we  have  before  said,  it  is  our  will  that  he 
should  be  proceeded  against  as  a  true  and  evident 
heretic."  <r  4f 


134 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


HE  difference  between  heresy  and 
treason,  at  one  time,  was  very 
slight.  One  was  disloyalty  to  the 
Church,  the  other  disloyalty  to 
the  State.  Q Luther's  peril  was 
very  great.  The  coils  had  been 
deliberately  laid  for  him,  and  he 
had  as  deliberately  placed  his  neck 

in  the  noose.  Surely  his  accusers 

had  been  very  patient — every  opportunity  had  been 
given  him  to  recant. 

Aleandro,  the  Papal  Nuncio,  argued  that  in  the  face  of 
such  stubborn  contumacy  and  insult  to  both  Pope  and 
Emperor,  the  Emperor  would  be  justified  in  cancelling 
his  safe  conduct  and  arresting  Luther  then  and  there. 
His  offense  in  refusing  to  retract  was  committed  at 
Worms  and  his  trial  should  be  there— and  there  he 
should  be  executed. 

The  Elector  Frederick  was  a  stronger  man  far  in  per 
sonality  than  was  the  Emperor  Charles.  "  The  promise 
of  safe  conduct  must  be  kept,"  said  Frederick,  and 
there  he  rested,  refusing  to  argue  the  merits  of  the 
case  by  a  word,  one  way  or  the  other. 
Frederick  held  the  life  of  Luther  in  his  hand—a  waver, 
a  tremor  and  the  fagots  would  soon  crackle :  for  the 
man  who  pleads  guilty  and  refuses  pardon  there  is 
short  shrift  <T  *T 

Luther  started  back  for  Saxony.  All  went  well  until  he 
reached  the  Black  Forest  within  the  bounds  of  the 


MARTIN     LUTHER 135 

domain  of  Frederick;  when  behold  the  carriages  and 
little  group  of  horsemen  were  surrounded  by  an  armed 
force  of  silent  and  determined  men.  Luther  made  a 
stout  defense  and  was  handled  not  over  gently.  He 
was  taken  from  his  closed  carriage  and  placed  upon  a 
horse— his  friends  and  guard  were  ordered  to  be  gone. 
QThe  darkness  of  the  forest  swallowed  Luther  and 
his  captors. 

News  soon  reached  Wittenberg  and  the  students 
mourned  him  as  dead. 

His  enemies  gloried  in  his  disappearance,  and  every 
where  told  that  he  had  been  struck  by  the  vengeance 
of  God  &  & 

Luther  was  lodged  in  the  Castle  of  Wartburg  and  all 
communication  with  the  outside  world  cut  off. 
The  whole  scheme  was  a  diplomatic  move  on  the  part 
of  the  Elector.  He  expected  a  demand  would  be  made 
for  the  arrest  of  the  heretic.  To  anticipate  this  demand 
he  arrested  the  man  himself;  and  thus  placed  the 
matter  in  position  to  legally  resist  should  the  prisoner 
be  demanded. 

The  Elector  was  the  Governor,  and  the  Estate  was 
what  would  be  to  us  a  State — the  term  "state"  and 
"estate"  being  practically  the  same  word.  It  was  the 
old  question  of  State  Rights,  the  same  question  that 
Hayne  and  Webster  debated  in  1830,  and  Grover  Cleve 
land  and  John  P.  Altgeld  fought  over  in  1894.  The 
Elector  Frederick  prepared  for  a  legal  battle,  and  would 
defy  the  "Federal  Arm"  by  force  if  worst  came  to  worst. 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


Q  Luther  remained  a  prisoner  for  seven  months,  and 
so  closely  guarded  was  he  that  he  only  knew  by  in 
ference  that  his  keepers  were  his  friends.  The  Elec 
tor  was  discreet  :  he  held  no  personal  communication 
with  Luther. 

In  December,  1521,  the  prisoner  was  allowed  to  go  to 
Wittenberg  on  a  three  days'  parole.  When  he  appeared 
at  the  University  he  came  as  one  from  the  dead.  The 
event  was  too  serious  for  student  jollification,  many 
were  struck  dumb  with  astonishment  and  glad  tears 
of  joy  were  upon  every  cheek  —  and  by  common  con 
sent  all  classes  were  abandoned,  and  a  solemn  service 
of  thanksgiving  held  in  the  Church,  upon  the  door  of 
which,  four  years  before,  this  little  college  professor 
had  tacked  his  Theses. 

All  understood  now  that  Luther  was  a  prisoner  —  he 
must  go  back  to  his  prison.  He  admonished  his  hearers 
to  be  patient  but  to  be  firm  ;  cleave  to  what  they  be 
lieved  to  be  right,  even  though  it  led  to  the  scaffold. 
He  administered  the  sacrament,  and  through  that 
congregation,  and  throughout  Saxony,  and  throughout 
all  Germany  ran  the  vow,  silent,  solemn,  serious  that 
Martin  Luther's  defiance  of  Papal  authority  was 
right.  The  Church  was  made  for  man  and  not  man  for 
the  Church  —  and  come  what  may  this  man  Luther 
must  be  protected  even  though  the  gutters  ran  with 
blood  jf  ff 

When  would  his  trial  occur?  Nobody  knew  —  but  there 
would  be  no  haste. 


MARTIN     LUTHER 137 

Luther  went  back  to  prison,  but  not  to  remain  there. 
His  little  lease  of  liberty  had  been  given  just  to  see 
which  way  the  wind  lay.  He  was  a  prisoner  still — a 
prisoner  on  parole — and  if  he  was  taken  out  of  Saxony 
it  could  only  be  by  illegal  means. 

The  action  of  the  Elector  was  as  wise  and  as  success 
ful  a  bit  of  legal  procedure  as  ever  mortal  lawyer 
worked,  that  it  was  all  done  without  the  advice,  con 
sent  or  connivance  of  the  prisoner,  makes  it  doubly 
admirable. 

Luther  set  himself  to  work  as  never  before,  writing 
and  preaching.  He  kept  close  to  Wittenberg  and  from 
there  sent  forth  his  thunders  of  revolt.  Outside  of 
Saxony,  at  regular  intervals,  edicts  were  read  from 
pulpits  ordering  any  and  all  copies  of  Luther's  writ 
ings  to  be  brought  forward  that  they  might  be  burned. 
This  advertised  the  work,  and  made  it  prized — it  was 
read  throughout  all  Christendom. 

That  gentle  and  ascetic  Henry  VIII.  of  England, 
issued  a  book  denouncing  Luther  and  telling  what  he 
would  do  with  him  if  he  came  to  England.  Luther  re 
plied,  a  trifle  too  much  in  kind.  Henry  put  in  a  pious 
rejoinder  to  the  effect  that  the  devil  would  not  have 
Luther  in  hell.  In  their  opinion  of  Luther  the  Pope 
and  King  Henry  were  of  one  mind. 
So  lived  Martin  Luther,  execrated  and  beloved.  At 
first  he  sought  to  serve  the  Church,  and  later  he 
worked  to  destroy  it.  After  three  hundred  years,  the 
Catholic  Church  still  lives,  with  more  communicants 


MARTIN     LUTHER 


than  it  had  in  the  days  of  Luther.  The  fact  that  it  still 
exists  proves  its  usefulness.  It  will  still  live,  and  it 
will  change  as  men  change.  The  Church  and  the  Pope 
are  not  the  detestable  things  that  Martin  Luther  pic 
tured  them  ;  and  Protestantism  is  not  the  sweet  and 
lovely  object  that  he  would  have  us  believe.  All  formal 
and  organized  religions  will  be  what  they  are,  as  long 
as  man  is  what  he  is  —  labels  count  for  little. 
In  1525  Martin  Luther  married  "Catharine  the  Nun," 
a  most  excellent  woman,  and  one  whom  rumor  says 
had  long  encouraged  and  upheld  him  in  his  works. 
Children  came  to  bless  them,  and  the  picture  of  the 
great  heretic  sitting  at  his  wooden  table  with  little 
Johnny  Luther  on  his  knee,  his  loving  wife  by  his 
side,  and  kind  neighbors  entering  for  a  friendly  chat, 
show  the  great  reformer  at  his  best. 
He  was  the  son  of  a  peasant,  all  his  ancestors  were 
peasants,  as  he  so  often  told,  and  he  lived  like  a 
peasant  to  the  last.  For  himself  he  wanted  little.  He 
sided  with  the  people,  the  toilers,  with  those  who 
struggled  in  the  bonds  of  slavery  and  fear  —  for  them 
he  was  an  Eye,  an  Ear,  a  trumpet  Voice. 
There  never  lived  a  braver  man  —  there  never  lived 
one  more  earnest  and  sincere.  He  fought  freedom's 
fight  with  all  the  weapons  God  had  given  him;  and 
for  the  Liberty  we  now  enjoy,  in  great  degree,  we  are 
debtors  to  Martin  Luther. 


SO  HERE  ENDETH  THE  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HOME 
OF  MARTIN  LUTHER:  WRITTEN  BY  ELBERT  HUBBARD. 
THE  TITLE  PAGE,  INITIALS  &  ORNAMENTS  BEING  DE 
SIGNED  BY  SAMUEL  WARNER,  AND  THE  WHOLE  DONE 
INTO  A  BOOK  BY  THE  ROYCROFTERS  AT  THEIR  SHOP, 
WHICH  IS  IN  EAST  AURORA,  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  APRIL, 
IN  THE  YEAR  MCMII1  #####<**  ###<#•# 


Che  Quintessence  of  Quinn 


One  would  hardly  think  it,  but  the  one  man  in  America  who 
is  musically  keyed  in  A  sharp  lives  in  Chicago.  His  name  is 
Marcus  Quinn,  Mus.  Doc.,  and  his  degree,  Bert  Letson  Tay 
lor  says,  is  from  the  Auditorium  Annex.  This  man  traces  a  di 
rect  pedigree  to  the  Roman  Emperor,  Marcus  Aurelius,  and  a 
daughter  of  King  Kwinn,  who  ruled  Ireland  in  the  Second 
Century. 

The  Quintessence  of  Quinn  lies  in  his  ability  to  teach  music 
by  correspondence,  and  so  explain  the  matter  that  girls  of  ten, 
in  Texas,  who  are  pupils  of  his,  have  proven  themselves  able 
to  compose  and  play  Hungarian  Rhapsodies  and  also  read  and 
play  at  sight  any  Ancient  Thing.  Quinn  has  analyzed  music, 
taken  it  all  apart  and  gives  you  the  mathematical  formula.  He 
has  also  analyzed  pianos.  He  says  the  Irish  are  the  only  people 
who  ever  used  a  musical  instrument  as  a  national  symbol,  and 
the  harp  is  an  undeveloped  piano.  The  Romans  had  stars  on 
their  banners,  and  since  the  morning  stars  sing  together,  it  is 
meet  that  the  best  Piano  should  be  a  fetfltt,  Quinn  says 
the  construction  of  the  §5tatt  is  simpler,  stronger,  finer, 
and  the  tone  is  that  of  an  Irish  harp  played  in  the  Long  Ago 
when  the  daughter  of  King  Kwinn  ran  away  to  Rome  and 
was  beloved  by  the  man  who  wrote  the  (( Meditations."  The 
fetart?  Yes  — made  at  RICHMOND,  INDIANA 


tile   Postpone  Funerals  Indefinitely 


You  better  not  bother 
about  preparing  for 
death;  prepare  for  life! 
We  are  apt  to  get  what 
we  prepare  for.  Thru 
simple  diet,  work,  play, 
music  and  study,  you 
can  live  —  live  from 
seven  in  the  morning 
until  ten  at  night,  and 
sleep  without  waking 
for  eight  hours.  That 
means  health. 

The  ROYCROFT  PHY 
SICAL  DIRECTOR 

has  time  to  take  in 
charge  at  the  ROY- 
CROFT  SHOP  two 
or  three  men,  of  mid 
dle  age  preferred,  who 
have  lost  their  grip  in 
a  mental  or  physical 
way,  and  by  Nature's 
help,  without  drugs, 
bring  them  back  to 

Perfect   Health. 

Elbert  Hubbard   II. 

FOR  TERMS  AND  PARTICULARS,  SUPPOSE  YOU  WRITE  TO 

PROF.   STACY  BETZLER 

PHYSICAL     DIRECTOR    OF    THE    ROYCROFTERS 

EAST    AURORA,     NEW     YORK 


A  LIFE  MEMBERSHIP 

IN   THE 


American 
of  Immortals 


C00t£  Celt  SDOllatg— No  further  dues 
or  assessments,  and  no  liabilities.  Your 
duties  consist  in  living  up  to  your  Ideal 
(as  nearly  as  possible)  and  attending 
the  Annual  Dinner  (if  convenient). 

1 i )  The  membership  entitles  you  to  one  copy  of  the  Philistine  maga 
zine  for  ninety-nine  years,  but  no  longer. 

(2 )  All  the  back  bound  volumes  of  "  The  Philistine  "  we  have  on  hand. 

(3)  "Little  Journeys,"  beginning  with  current  numbers,  and  all  that 
shall  be  issued  in  future. 

(4)  Such  other  books,  pamphlets,  addresses  and  documents  as  the 
Roycrofters  may  elect  to  send  you  Every  Little  While. 

(5)  Success,  Health  and  Love  Vibrations,  sent  daily  by  the  Pastor  or 
Ali  Baba. 

ADDRESS    THE    BURSAR,    EAST    AURORA,    NEW    YORK 


Vtttl* 


TO  THE  HOMES  OF  EMINENT  ORATORS 


EDMUND  BURKE 


Vol.  XII.  MAY,  1903.  No.  5 


By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 


Single  Copies,  25  cents  By  the  Year,  $3.00 


LITTLE  JOURNEYS 

TO     THE    HOMES     OF 

EMINENT    ORATORS 

By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 

SUBJECTS     AS     FOLLOWS: 

1  Pericles  7  Marat 

2  Mark  Antony  8  Robert  Ingersoll 

3  Savonarola  9  Job1?  Randolph 

4  Martin  Luther  10  Thomas  Starr  King 

5  Edmund  Burke  n  Henry  Ward  Beecher 

6  William  Pitt  12  Wendell  Phillips 


One  booklet  a  month  will  be  issued  as  usual,  begin 
ning  on  January  ist. 

The  LITTLE  JOURNEYS  for  1903  will  be  strictly 
de  luxe  in  form  and  workmanship.  The  type  will  be  a 
new  font  of  antique  blackface ;  the  initials  designed 
especially  for  this  work ;  a  frontispiece  portrait  from 
the  original  drawing  made  at  our  Shop.  The  booklets 
will  be  stitched  by  hand  with  silk. 
The  price — 25  cents  each,  or  $3.00  for  the  year. 

Address  THE   ROYCROFTERS  at  their 
Shop,   which  is  at  East  Aurora,   New  York 

Entered  at  the  postoffice  at  East  Aurora,  New  York,  for  transmission 
as  second-class  mail  matter.  Copyright,  1902,  by  Elbert  Hubbard 


ROY   C    R    OFT 


The  accompanying  illustration  shows  a  round  table  of  which 
the  Roycroft  carpenters  have  made  a  limited  number.  The  table 
is  of  oak,  entirely  hand-made  and  is  ornamental,  as  well  as 
serviceable.  In  diameter  the  top  measures  3  feet,  and  this  piece 
of  furniture  is  one  that  will  last  a  lifetime  and  then  go  to  the 
next  generation  as  a  prized  heirloom.  The  table  is  finished  in 
weathered  oak,  discreetly  and  well,  and  will  satisfy  the  most 
particular  purchaser.  The  price  is  $20. 

The  Roy  crofters  NEWTYAOURRKORA 


The    New    York    Special 

IS    THE     FINE     TRAIN     OF     THE 

MICHIGAN  (CENTRAL 

"The  Niagara  Falls  Route." 
between  Chicago  and  Detroit  and  Buffalo,  New  York 

and  Boston.  It  leaves  Chicago  5:20  p.  m.  daily  and  arrives  Buffalo 
7:50  a.  m.,  New  York  State  points  during  the  day,  Grand  Central 
Station,  New  York,  at  6:30  p.  m.,  daily,  and  Boston  11:30  p.  m.,  except 
Sunday,  with  Dining,  Pullman  Sleeping  and  Buffet  Library  Cars. 
C.A11  Michigan  Central  trains  arrive  at  and  depart  from  the  Grand 
Central  Station,  New  York,  and  the  New  South  Station,  Boston. 

O.    W.    RUGGLES, 

General  Passenger  &  Ticket  Agent,  Chicago. 


PH  A  T   A  NSTRR V 


The  word  was  first  used  by  Fourier,  and 
means  literally  "the  home  of  friends."  The 
ROYCROFT  PHALANSTERY,  with  its  new 
addition,  just  completed,  consists  of  a  kitchen, 
scientific  and  modern  in  all  of  its  appointments; 
a  dining-room  that  seats  a  hundred  people; 
thirty-eight  sleeping  rooms;  reception  rooms, 
etc.,  etc.  That  is  to  say  it  is  an  INN,  managed 
somewhat  like  a  Swiss  Monastery,  simple,  yet 
complete  in  all  of  its  appointments  —  where  the 
traveler  is  made  welcome.  There  are  always  a 
few  visitors  with  us.  Some  remain  simply  for  a 
meal,  others  stay  a  day,  or  a  week,  or  a  month. 
A  few  avail  themselves  of  the  services  of  our 
Musical  Director,  the  Physical  Instructor,  or 
take  lessons  in  drawing  and  painting.  C^The 
prices:  Meals,  such  as  they  are,  say  twenty - 
five  cents;  lodging,  fifty  cents.  If  parties  of  a 
dozen  or  more  want  accommodations,  it  is  well 
to  telegraph  ahead  to  THE  BURSAR  of 

THE     ROYCROFTERS 

EAST     AURORA,     NEW     YORK 


MEAL  TIME  DRINKS 

Should  Be  Selected  to  Suit  the  Health  as 
Well  as  the  Taste. 


When  the  coffee  toper,  ill  from  coffee  drinking,  finally 
leaves  off  coffee  the  battle  is  only  half  won.  Most  people 
require  some  hot  drink  at  meal  time,  and  they  also  need 
the  rebuilding  agent  to  build  up  what  coffee  has  destroyed. 
Postum  is  the  rebuilder,  the  other  half  of  the  battle. 
Some  people  stop  coffee  and'  drink  hot  water  but  find  this 
a  thin,  unpalatable  diet,  with  no  rebuilding  properties.  It 
is  much  easier  to  break  away  from  coffee  by  serving 
strong,  hot,  well  boiled  Postum  in  its  place.  A  prominent 
wholesale  grocer  of  Faribault,  Minn.,  says:  "For  a  long 
time  I  was  nervous  and  could  not  digest  my  food.  I  went 
to  a  doctor  who  prescribed  a  tonic  and  told  me  to  leave 
off  coffee  and  drink  hot  water. 

"I  did  so  for  a  time  and  got  some  relief  but  did  not  get 
entirely  well,  so  I  lost  patience  and  said :  '  Oh  well,  coffee 
is  n't  the  cause  of  my  troubles,'  and  went  back  to  drinking 
it.  I  became  worse  than  ever.  Then  Postum  was  pre 
scribed.  It  was  not  made  right  at  first  and  for  two  morn 
ings  I  could  hardly  drink  it. 

"Then  I  had  it  boiled  full  fifteen  minutes  and  used  good 
cream  and  I  had  a  most  charming  beverage. 
"I  fairly  got  fat  on  the  food  drink  and  my  friends  asked 
me  what  had  happened  I  was  so  well.  I  was  set  right  and 
cured  when    Postum  was  made    right.   I   know   other 
men  here  who  use  Postum,  among  others  the  Cashier  of 
the  Security  Bank  and  a  well  known  clergyman. 
"My  firm  sells  a  lot  of  Postum  and  I  am  certainly  at  your 
service  for  Postum  cured  me  of  stomach  trouble."  Name 
given  by  Postum   Company,  Battle  Creek,  Michigan. 


Little 
pourneys 

To  the  Homes  of 

EMINENT 

(ORATORS 


lUttfttcn  by  Elbcrt 
Hubband  &  done 
{into  a  Book  by  the 
Roycpoftet*$attbe 
ISbop,  u>bicb  is  in 
Ea$tJluttoiui,neu> 
Yoitk,  J\.  D.  1903 


WAS  not,  like  His  Grace  of  Bedford,  swaddled  and 
rocked  and  dandled  into  a  legislator;  nitor  in  adversum 
is  the  motto  for  a  man  like  me.  I  possessed  not  one  of 
the  qualities,  nor  cultivated  one  of  the  arts,  that  recom 
mend  men  to  the  favour  and  protection  of  the  great.  I 
was  not  made  for  a  minion  or  a  tool.  As  little  did  I  follow  the  trade 
of  winning  the  hearts,  by  imposing  on  the  understandings  of  the 
people.  At  every  step  of  my  progress  in  life,  for  in  every  step  I  was 
traversed  and  opposed,  and  at  every  turnpike  I  met,  I  was  obliged  to 
show  my  passport,  and  again  and  again  to  prove  my  sole  title  to  the 
honour  of  being  useful  to  my  country,  by  a  proof  that  I  was  not 
wholly  unacquainted  with  its  laws  and  the  whole  system  of  its  inter 
ests  both  abroad  and  at  home;  otherwise  no  rank,  no  toleration  even 
for  me. 


EDMUND     BURKE 


139 


|N  the  American  Encyclopedia,  a  work 
I  cheerfully  recommend,  will  be  found 
a  statement  to  the  effect  that  Edmund 
Burke  was  one  of  the  fifteen  children 
of  his  parents.  Aside  from  the  natural 
curiosity  to  know  what  became  of  the 
fourteen,  the  matter  is  of  small  mo 
ment,  and  that  its  truth  or  falsity 
should  divide  men  is  most  absurd. 
Of  this,  however,  we  know — the  parents 
of  Burke  were  plain  people,  rescued 
from  oblivion  only  through  the  excel 
lence  of  this  one  son.  The  father  was  a 
lawyer,  and  fees  being  scarce,  he  be 
came  chief  clerk  for  another  barrister, 
and  so  lived  his  life  and  did  his  work. 
QWhen  Edmund  Burke  was  born  at 
Dublin  in  the  year  1729,  that  famous 
city  was  at  its  flood  tide  of  prosperity. 
It  was  a  metropolis  of  commerce,  art, 
wit,  oratory  and  literary  culture.  The 
one  name  that  looms  large  to  us  out  of 
that  time  is  that  of  Dean  Swift,  but 
then  there  were  dozens  just  as  great  as 
he — so-said. 

Edmund  must  have  been  a  bright,  fine, 
attractive  boy,  for  we  hear  that  certain 
friends  of  his  parents  combined  with 
his  father  and  they  bent  themselves  to 


140 EDMUND     BURKE 

the  task  of  sending  the  lad  to  Trinity  College.  Before 
this,  however,  he  had  spent  some  time  at  a  private 
school  kept  by  one  Shackleton,  a  Quaker  and  a  rare 
sweet  soul,  with  enough  of  stern  moral  fiber  in  him 
that  he  exercised  a  profound  and  lasting  influence  for 
good  on  young  Mr.  Burke. 

The  boy  was  to  be  a  lawyer — a  great  lawyer.  The 
elder  Burke  was  not  a  great  lawyer,  but  he  felt  com 
petent  to  raise  one. 

There  was  another  boy  destined  for  fame  at  Trinity 
College  while  Burke  was  there,  but  they  did  not  get 
acquainted  then.  Some  years  later  they  met  in  Lon 
don,  though,  and  talked  it  over. 

In  countenance  these  two  young  men  had  a  certain 
marked  resemblance.  Reynolds  painted  pictures  of 
both  Burke  and  Goldsmith,  and  when  I  looked  at 
these  portraits  this  morning,  side  by  side,  I  said,  "Sir 
Joshua  had  n't  quite  got  the  Burke  out  of  his  brush 
before  he  painted  the  Goldsmith."  Burke  is  Goldsmith 
grown  big. 

Each  had  a  weak  chin,  which  was  redeemed  by  the 
fine,  full  forehead  and  brilliant  eye. 
In  face  and  features,  taken  as  a  whole,  Burke  had  a 
countenance  of  surpassing  beauty.  Note  the  full  sen 
suous  lips,  the  clear,  steady,  lustrous  beaming  eye, 
the  splendid  head!  There  is  nothing  small,  selfish, 
mean  or  trifling  about  the  man — he  is  open,  frank, 
sympathetic,  gentle,  generous  and  wise. 
He  is  a  manly  man. 


EDMUND     BURKE 141 

No  wonder  that  even  the  staid  and  chilly  Hannah 
More  loved  him ;  and  little  Miss  Burney  worshipped 
at  his  shrine  even  in  spite  of  "his  friendship  for  those 
detested  rebels,  the  Americans;  and  the  other  griev 
ous  sin  of  persecuting  that  good  man,  Warren  Hast 
ings."  &  & 

Goldsmith  was  small  in  stature,  apologetic  in  manner, 
hesitating,  and  at  times  there  was  a  lisp  in  speech, 
which  might  have  been  an  artistic  and  carefully  ac 
quired  adjunct  of  wit,  but  it  was  not.  Burke  was 
commanding  in  stature,  dignified,  suave,  and  in 
speech  direct,  copious  and  elegant.  Goldsmith  over 
worked  the  minor  key,  but  Burke  merely  suggests 
that  it  had  not  been  omitted. 

At  college  young  Burke  did  not  prove  a  brilliant  stu 
dent — his  intellect  and  aptitude  it  seems  were  a 
modest  mouse-color,  that  escaped  attention.  His 
reading  was  desultory  and  general,  with  spasms  of 
passion  for  this  study  or  that,  this  author  or  the 
other.  And  he  has  remarked,  most  regretfully,  that  all 
of  these  passions  were  short-lived,  none  lasting  more 
than  six  weeks. 

It  is  a  splendid  sign  to  find  a  youth  with  a  passion  for 
any  branch  of  work,  or  study,  or  for  any  author.  No 
matter  how  brief  the  love— it  adds  a  ring  of  growth  to 
character;  and  if  you  have  loved  a  book  once  it  is  easy 
to  go  back  to  it.  In  all  these  varying  moods  of  likes 
and  dislikes,  Burke  was  gathering  up  material  for  use 
in  after  years. 


142 


EDMUND     BURKE 


But  his  teachers  did  not  regard  it  so,  neither  did  his 
father  <T  # 

He  got  through  college  after  a  five  years'  course,  aged 
twenty,  by  the  grace  of  his  tutors.  He  knew  every 
thing  excepting  what  was  in  the  curriculum. 


EDMUND     BURKE 


143 


ALL,  handsome,  with  hair  black 
as  the  raven's  wing,  and  eyes 
that  looked  away  off  into  space, 
dreamy  and  unconcerned,  was 
Edmund  Burke  at  twenty. 
His  father  was  a  business  lawyer, 
with  a  sharp  nose  for  technicali 
ties,  quirks  and  quillets,  but  the 
son  studied  law  as  a  literary  curi 
osity.  Occasionally  there  were  quick  chidings,  an 
swered  with  irony  needlessly  calm:  then  the  good 
wife  and  mother  would  intervene  with  her  tears,  and 
the  result  was  that  Burke  the  elder  would  withdraw 
to  the  open  air  to  cool  his  coppers.  Be  it  known  that 
no  man  can  stand  out  against  his  wife  and  son  when 
they  in  love  combine. 

Finally  it  was  proposed  that  Edmund  go  to  London 
and  take  a  course  of  Law  at  the  Middle  Temple.  The 
plan  was  accepted  with  ill-concealed  alacrity.  Father 
and  son  parted  with  relief,  but  the  good-bye  between 
mother  and  son  tore  the  hearts  of  both— they  were 
parting  forever,  and  Something  told  them  so. 
It  evidently  was  the  intention  of  Burke  the  elder, 
who  was  a  clear-headed  practical  person,  competent 
in  all  petty  plans,  that  if  the  son  settled  down  to  law 
and  got  his  "call,"  then  he  would  be  summoned  back 
to  Dublin  and  put  in  a  way  to  achieve  distinction. 
But  if  the  young  man  still  pursued  his  desultory  read 
ing  and  scribbling  on  irrelevant  themes,  then  the  re- 


144 


EDMUND     BURKE 


mittances  were  to  be  withdrawn  and  Edmund  Burke, 
being  twenty-one  years  of  age,  could  sink  or  swim. 
Burke  pater  would  wash  his  hands  in  innocency, 
having  fully  complied  with  all  legal  requirements, 
and  God  knows  that  is  all  any  man  can  do — there! 


EDMUN  D     BURKE 


N  London-town  since  time  began, 
no  embryo  Coke  ever  rapped  at 
the  bar  for  admittance — lawyers 
are  "summoned"  just  as  clergy 
men  are  "called,"  while  other 
men  find  a  job.  In  England  this 
pretty  little  illusion  of  receiving  a 
"call"  to  practice  law  still  ob 
tains. 

Burke  never  received  the  call,  for  the  reason  that  he 
failed  to  fit  himself  for  it.  He  read  everything  but  law 
books.  He  might  have  assisted  a  young  man  by  the 
name  of  Blackstone  in  compiling  his  "Commenta 
ries,"  as  their  lodgings  were  not  far  apart,  but  he  did 
not.  They  met  occasionally,  and  when  they  did  they 
always  discussed  Spenser  or  Milton,  and  waxed 
warm  over  Shakespeare. 

Burke  gave  Old  Father  Antic  the  Law  as  lavish  a 
letter  of  recommendation  as  the  Legal  Profession 
ever  received,  and  he  gave  it  for  the  very  natural 
reason  that  he  had  no  use  for  the  Law  himself. 
The  remittances  from  Dublin  were  always  small,  but 
they  grew  smaller,  less  frequent  and  finally  ceased. 
It  was  sink  or  swim — and  the  young  man  simply 
paddled  to  keep  afloat  upon  the  tide  of  the  times. 
He  dawdled  at  Dodsley's,  visited  with  the  callers  and 
browsed  among  the  books.  There  was  only  one  thing 
the  young  man  liked  better  to  do  than  read,  and  that 
was  to  talk.  Once  he  had  read  a  volume  nearly  through, 


146 EDMUND     BURKE 

when  Dodsley  up  and  sold  it  to  a  customer — "a  rather 
ungentlemanly  trick  to  play  on  an  honest  man,"  says 
Burke  jf  # 

It  was  at  Dodsley's  he  first  met  his  countryman 
Goldsmith,  also  Garrick,  Boswell  and  Johnson.  It 
was  then  that  Johnson  received  that  lasting  impres 
sion  of  Burke,  of  whom  he  said,  "Sir,  if  you  met 
Edmund  Burke  under  a  gateway,  where  you  had 
taken  shelter  for  five  minutes  to  escape  a  shower,  you 
would  be  so  impressed  by  his  conversation  that  you 
would  say,  'This  is  a  most  extraordinary  man'." 
If  one  knows  how,  or  has  to,  he  can  live  in  a  large 
city  at  a  small  expense.  For  nine  years  Burke's  Lon 
don  life  is  a  tale  of  a  garret,  with  the  details  almost 
lost  in  the  fog.  Of  this  time,  in  after  years,  he  seldom 
spoke,  not  because  he  was  ashamed  of  all  the  straits 
and  shifts  he  had  to  endure,  but  because  he  was  en 
dowed  with  that  fine  dignity  of  mind  which  does  not 
dwell  on  hardships  gone  and  troubles  past,  but  rather 
fixes  itself  on  blessings  now  at  hand  and  other  bless 
ings  yet  to  come.  Then  better  still,  there  came  a  time 
when  work  and  important  business  filled  every  mo 
ment  of  the  fast  flying  hours.  And  so  he  himself  once 
said,  "The  sure  cure  for  all  private  griefs  is  a  hearty 
interest  in  public  affairs." 

The  best  search-light  through  the  mist  of  those  early 
days  comes  to  us  through  Burke's  letters  to  Shackle- 
ton,  the  son  of  his  old  Quaker  teacher.  Shackleton 
had  the  insight  to  perceive  his  friend  was  no  com- 


EDMUND     BURKE        147 

mon  man,  and  so  preserved  every  scrap  of  Burke's 
writing  that  came  his  way. 

About  that  time  there  seems  to  have  been  a  sort  of 
meteoric  shower  of  chip-munk  magazines,  following 
in  the  luminous  pathway  of  the  "Spectator"  and  the 
"Tatler."  Burke  was  passing  through  his  poetic 
period,  and  supplied  various  stanzas  of  alleged  poetry 
to  these  magazines  for  a  modest  consideration.  For 
one  poem  he  received  eighteen  pence,  as  tearfully 
told  by  Shackleton,  but  we  have  Hawkins  for  it  that 
this  was  a  trifle  more  than  the  poem  was  worth. 
Of  this  poetry  we  know  little,  happily,  but  glimpses 
of  it  are  seen  in  the  Shackleton  letters;  for  instance, 
when  he  asks  his  friend's  criticism  of  such  lines  as 
these: 

The  nymphs  that  haunt  the  dusky  wood, 
Which  hangs  recumbent  o'er  the  crystal  flood. 

He  speaks  of  his  delight  in  ambient  sunsets,  when 
gilded  oceans,  ghostly  ships  and  the  dull,  dark  city 
vanish  for  the  night.  Of  course,  such  things  never 
happen  except  in  books,  but  the  practice  of  writing 
about  them  is  a  fine  drill,  in  that  it  enables  the  writer 
to  get  a  grasp  on  his  vocabulary.  Poetry  is  for  the 
poet  &  4T 

And  if  Burke  wrote  poetry  in  bed,  having  to  remain 
there  in  the  daytime,  while  his  landlady  was  doing  up 
his  single  ruffled  shirt  for  an  evening  party,  whose 
business  was  it? 
'When  he  was  invited  out  to  dinner  he  did  the  meal 


148 EDMUND     BURKE 

such  justice  that  he  needed  nothing  the  following 
day;  and  the  welcome  discovery  was  also  made  that 
fasting  produced  an  exaltation  of  the  "spiritual  es 
sence  that  was  extremely  favorable  to  writing  good 
poetry."  &  jf 

Burke  had  wit,  and  what  Johnson  called  a  "mighty 
affluence  of  conversation";  so  his  presence  was  wel 
come  at  the  Turk's  Head.  Burke  and  Johnson  were 
so  thoroughly  well  matched  as  talkers  that  they  re 
spected  each  other's  prowess  and  never  with  each 
other  clinched  in  wordy  warfare.  Johnson  was  an 
arch  Tory:  Burke  the  leader  of  the  Whigs,  but  Ursa 
was  wise  enough  to  say  "I  '11  talk  with  him  on  any 
subject  but  politics."  This  led  Goldsmith  to  remark 
"Dr.  Johnson  browbeats  us  little  men,  but  makes 
quick  peace  with  those  he  cannot  down."  Then  there 
were  debating  societies,  from  one  of  which  he  re 
signed  because  the  limit  of  a  speech  was  seven  min 
utes;  but  finally  the  time  was  extended  to  fifteen 
minutes  in  order  to  get  the  Irish  orator  back. 
During  these  nine  years,  once  referred  to  by  Burke  as 
the  "Dark  Ages,"  he  had  four  occupations, — book 
browsing  at  Dodsley's,  debating  in  the  clubs,  attend 
ing  the  theatre  on  tickets  probably  supplied  by  Gar- 
rick,  who  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  him,  and  his 
writing  #*  & 

No  writing  man  could  wish  a  better  environment 
than  this  —  the  friction  of  mind  with  strong  men, 
books  and  the  drama  stirred  his  emotions  to  the 


EDMUND     BURKE 149 

printing  point.  QBurke's  personality  made  a  swirl  in 
the  social  sea  that  brought  the  best  straight  to  him. 
QOne  of  the  writers  that  Burke  most  admired  was 
Bolingbroke,  that  man  of  masterly  mind  and  mighty 
tread.  His  paragraphs  move  like  a  phalanx,  and  in 
every  sentence  there  is  an  argument.  No  man  in  Eng 
land  influenced  his  time  more  than  Bolingbroke.  He 
was  the  inspirer  of  writers.  Burke  devoured  Boling 
broke,  and  when  he  took  up  his  pen,  wrote  with  the 
same  magnificent,  stately  minuet  step.  Finally  he 
was  full  of  the  essence  of  Bolingbroke  to  the  point  of 
saturation,  and  then  he  began  to  criticise  him.  Had 
Bolingbroke  been  alive  Burke  would  have  quarreled 
with  him — they  were  so  much  alike.  As  it  was,  Burke 
contented  himself  by  writing  a  book  in  Bolingbroke's 
style,  carrying  the  great  man's  arguments  one  step 
further  with  intent  to  show  their  fallacy.  The  para 
phrase  is  always  a  complement,  and  is  never  well  done 
excepting  by  a  man  who  loves  the  original  and  is  a 
bit  jealous  of  him. 

If  Burke  began  his  "Vindication  of  Natural  Society," 
with  intent  to  produce  a  burlesque,  he  missed  his 
aim,  and  came  very  near  convincing  himself  of  the 
truth  of  his  proposition.  And  in  fact,  the  book  was 
hailed  by  the  rationalists  as  a  vindication  of  Rous 
seau's  philosophy. 

Burke  was  a  conservative  rationalist,  which  is  some 
thing  like  an  altruistic  pessimist.  In  the  society  of 
rationalists  Burke  was  a  conservative,  and  when  with 


EDMUND     BURKE 


the  conservatives  he  was  a  rationalist.  That  he  was 
absolutely  honest  and  sincere  there  is  not  a  particle  of 
doubt,  and  we  will  have  to  leave  it  to  the  psycholo 
gists  to  tell  us  why  men  hate  the  thing  they  love. 
The  "Vindication  of  Natural  Society,"  is  a  great  book, 
and  the  fact  that  in  the  second  edition  Burke  had  to 
explain  it  was  an  ironical  paraphrase,  does  not  con 
vince  us  that  it  was.  The  things  prophesied  have  come 
about  and  the  morning  stars  still  sing  together.  Wise 
men  are  more  and  more  learning  by  inclining  their 
hearts  toward  Nature.  Not  only  is  this  true  in  peda 
gogics,  but  in  law,  medicine  and  theology  as  well. 
Dogma  has  less  place  now  in  religion  than  ever  be 
fore;  many  deeply  religious  men  eschew  the  creed 
entirely,  and  in  all  pulpits  may  be  heard  the  sublime 
truths  of  simple  honesty  and  kindness;  being  quite 
enough  basis  for  a  useful  career.  That  is  good  which 
serves.  Religions  are  many  and  diverse,  but  reason 
and  goodness  are  one. 

Burke's  attempt  to  prove  that  without  "revealed  re 
ligion"  mankind  would  sit  in  eternal  darkness,  makes 
us  think  of  the  fable  of  the  man  who  planted  potatoes, 
hoed  them,  and  finally  harvested  the  crop.  Every  day 
when  this  man  toiled  there  was  another  man  who  sat 
on  the  fence,  chewed  a  straw  and  looked  on.  And  the 
author  of  the  story  says  that  if  it  were  not  for  the 
Bible,  no  one  would  have  ever  known  to  whom  the  po 
tatoes  belonged.  Q  Burke  wrote  and  talked  as  all  good 
men  do,  just  to  clear  the  matter  up  in  his  own  mind. 


EDMUND     BURKE 151 

Our  wisest  moves  are  accidents.  Burke's  first  book 
was  of  a  sort  so  striking  that  both  sides  claimed  it. 
Men  stopped  other  men  on  the  street  and  asked  if 
they  had  read  the  "Vindication":  at  the  coffee-houses 
they  wrangled  and  jangled  over  it:  and  all  the  time 
Dodsley  smiled  and  rubbed  his  hands  in  glee. 
Burke  soon  blossomed  out  in  clean  ruffled  shirt  every 
morning,  and  shortly  moved  to  a  suite  of  rooms, 
where  before  he  had  received  his  mail  and  his  friends 
at  a  coffee-house. 

Then  came  'William  Burke,  a  distant  cousin,  and  to 
gether  they  tramped  off  through  rural  England,  loiter 
ing  along  flowering  hedge-rows,  and  stopping  at  quaint 
inns,  where  the  villagers  made  guesses  as  to  whether 
the  two  were  gentlemen  out  for  a  lark,  smugglers  or 
Jesuits  in  disguise. 

One  of  these  trips  took  our  friends  to  Bath,  and  there 
we  hear  they  were  lodged  at  the  house  of  a  Dr.  Nugent, 
an  excellent  and  scholarly  man.  William  Burke  went 
back  to  London  and  left  Edmund  at  Bath  deep  in 
pursuit  of  the  Sublime.  Dr.  Nugent  had  a  daughter, 
aged  twenty,  beautiful,  gentle  and  gracious.  The 
reader  can  guess  the  rest. 

That  Burke's  wife  was  a  most  amiable  and  excellent 
woman  there  is  no  doubt.  She  loved  her  lord,  believed 
in  him  and  had  no  other  gods  before  him.  But  that 
she  influenced  his  career  directly  or  through  antithesis, 
there  is  no  trace.  Her  health  was  too  frail  to  follow 
him — his  stride  was  terrific — so  she  remained  at  home, 


152 


EDMUND     BURKE 


and  after  every  success  he  came  back  and  told  her 
of  it,  and  rested  his  great,  shaggy  head  in  her  lap. 
QOnly  one  child  was  born  to  them,  and  this  boy  closely 
resembled  his  mother  in  intellect  and  physique.  This 
son  passed  out  early  in  life,  and  so  with  Edmund  died 
the  name. 


EDMUND     BURKE 


153 


HE  next  book  Burke  launched 
was  the  one  we  know  best,  "On 
the  Sublime."  The  original  bore 
the  terrifying  title,  "A  Philosoph 
ical  Inquiry  into  the  Origin  of  our 
Ideas  Concerning  the  Sublime  and 
Beautiful."  This  book  consists  of 
one  hundred  and  seventeen  chap 
ters,  each  chapter  dealing  with 
some  special  phase  of  the  subject.  It  is  the  most 
searching  and  complete  analysis  of  an  abstract  theme 
of  which  I  know.  It  sums  the  subject  up  like  an  essay 
by  Herbert  Spencer,  and  disposes  of  the  case  once 
and  forever.  It  is  so  learned  that  only  a  sophomore 
could  have  written  it,  and  we  quite  forgive  the  author 
when  we  are  told  that  it  was  composed  when  he  was 
nineteen  jf  jf 

The  book  proved  Burke's  power  to  follow  an  idea  to 
its  lair,  and  its  launching  also  launched  the  author 
upon  the  full  tide  of  polite  society.  Goldsmith  said, 
"We  will  lose  him  now,"  but  Burke  still  stuck  by  his 
coffee-house  companions  and  used  them  as  a  pontoon 
to  bridge  the  gulf  'twixt  Bohemia  and  Piccadilly. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  written  a  book  for  Dodsley 
on  "English  Settlements  in  North  America,"  and  this 
did  Burke  more  good  than  any  one  else,  as  it  caused 
him  to  focus  his  inquiring  mind  on  the  New  World. 
After  this  man  began  to  write  on  a  subject,  his  intel 
lect  became  luminous  on  the  theme,  and  it  was  his 


i54 EDMUND     BURKE 

forevermore.  QAt  routs  and  fetes  and  four-o'clocks, 
Burke  was  sought  as  an  authority  on  America.  He 
had  never  been  there,  only  promised  himself  to  go, 
for  a  sick  wife  held  him  back.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  seen  every  man  of  worth  who  had  been  to  Amer 
ica,  and  had  sucked  the  orange  dry.  Macaulay  gives 
the  idea  when  he  describes  Burke's  speech  at  the 
Warren  Hastings  trial.  Burke  had  never  been  to 
India,  Macaulay  had,  but  that  is  nothing. 
Says  Macaulay :  "  When  Burke  spoke,  the  burning  sun, 
the  strange  vegetation  of  the  palm  and  cocoa-tree, 
the  rice-field,  the  tank,  the  huge  trees,  older  than  the 
Mogul  Empire,  under  which  the  village  crowds  as 
semble,  the  thatched  roof  of  the  peasant's  hut,  the 
rich  tracery  of  the  mosque  where  the  Imaum  prays 
with  his  face  to  Mecca,  the  drums,  the  banners  and 
gaudy  idols,  the  devotee  swinging  in  the  air,  the 
graceful  maiden  with  the  pitcher  on  her  head,  de 
scending  the  steps  to  the  riverside,  the  black  faces, 
the  long  beards,  the  yellow  streaks  of  sect,  the  tur 
bans  and  the  flowing  robes,  the  spears  and  silver 
maces,  the  elephants  with  their  canopies  of  state,  the 
gorgeous  palanquin  of  the  prince,  and  the  close  litter 
of  the  noble  lady,  all  these  things  were  to  him  as  fa 
miliar  as  the  subjects  which  lay  on  the  road  between 
Beaconsfield  and  St.  James  Street.  All  India  was 
present  to  the  eye  of  his  mind,  from  the  halls,  where 
suitors  laid  gold  and  perfumes  at  the  feet  of  the  sov 
ereign,  to  the  wild  moor  where  the  gipsy  camp  was 
pitched;  from  the  bazar,  humming  like  a  beehive  with 
the  crowd  of  buyers  and  sellers,  to  the  jungle  where 
the  lonely  courier  shakes  his  bunch  of  iron  rings  to 
scare  away  the  hyenas.  He  had  just  as  lively  an  idea 


EDMUND     BURKE 155 

of  the  insurrection  at  Benares  as  of  Lord  George  Gor 
don's  riots,  and  of  the  execution  of  Numcomar  as  of 
Dr.  Dodd.  Oppression  in  Bengal  was  to  him  the  same 
thing  as  oppression  in  the  streets  of  London." 

The  wide  encompassing  quality  of  Burke's  mind  made 
him  a  man  among  men.  Just  how  much  he  lent  his 
power  in  those  early  days  to  assist  those  in  high 
places  who  needed  him,  we  do  not  know.  Such  ser 
vices  were  sacred  to  him — done  in  friendship  and  in 
confidence,  and  held  as  steadfast  as  a  good  lawyer 
holds  the  secrets  of  his  client. 

No  doubt  though,  but  that  the  one  speech  which  gave 
glory  and  a  nickname  to  Single  Speech  Hamilton  was 
written  by  Burke.  It  was  wise,  witty  and  profound — 
and  never  again  did  Hamilton  do  a  thing  that  rose 
above  the  dull  and  deadly  mediocre. 
It  was  a  rival  of  Burke's  who  said,  "He  is  the  only 
man  since  Cicero  who  is  a  great  orator,  and  who  can 
write  as  well  as  he  can  talk." 

That  Burke  wrote  the  lectures  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds 
is  now  pretty  generally  believed;  in  fact,  that  he  re 
ceived  the  goodly  sum  of  four  thousand  pounds  for 
writing  these  lectures,  has  been  proved  to  the  satis 
faction  of  a  jury.  Burke  never  said  he  wrote  the  Rey 
nolds  lectures,  and  Sir  Joshua  left  it  to  his  valet  to 
deny  it.  But  read  the  lectures  now  and  you  will  see 
the  stately  step  of  Bolingbroke,  and  the  insight,  wit 
and  gravity  of  the  man  who  said,  "Mr.  Speaker,  I 
rise  to  a  question  of  privilege:  If  it  is  the  pleasure  of 


156 


EDMUND     BURKE 


the  House  that  all  the  heaviest  folios  known  to  us 
should  be  here  read  aloud,  I  am  in  honor  bound  to 
graciously  submit,  but  only  this  I  ask,  that  proceed 
ings  shall  be  suspended  long  enough  for  me  to  send 
home  for  my  night-cap." 


EDMUND     BURKE 


RESENTLY  Burke  graduated 
from  doing  hack  work  for  'Wil 
liam  Gerard  Hamilton  to  the  po 
sition  of  his  private  secretary — 
Hamilton  had  been  appointed 
Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland  and 
so  highly  did  he  prize  Burke's 
services  that  he  had  the  Govern 
ment  vote  him  a  pension  of  three 
hundred  pounds  a  year.  This  was  the  first  settled  in 
come  Burke  had  ever  received,  and  he  was  then  well 
past  thirty  years  of  age.  But  though  he  was  in  sore 
straits  financially,  when  he  perceived  that  the  intent 
of  the  income  was  to  bind  him  into  the  exclusive  ser 
vice  of  his  patron,  he  resigned  his  office  and  refused 
the  pension. 

Without  knowing  how  wisely  he  was  acting,  Burke, 
by  declining  the  pension  and  affronting  Lord  Hamil 
ton,  had  done  the  very  thing  that  it  was  most  ex 
pedient  to  do. 

When  Hamilton  could  not  buy  his  man,  he  foolishly 
sought  to  crush  him,  and  this  brought  Burke  for  the 
first  time  into  the  white  light  of  publicity. 
I  suppose  it  is  fully  understood  that  the  nobility  of 
England  are  not  necessarily  either  cultured  or  well- 
read.  Literature  to  most  of  the  titled  gentry  is  a 
blank,  my  lord — it  is  so  now  and  always  has  been  so. 
Burke's  brilliant  books  were  not  sufficient  to  make 
him  famous  excepting  among  the  Elect  Few,  but  the 


158 EDMUND     BURKE 

episode  with  Lord  Hamilton  set  the  gossips  by  the 
ears,  and  all  who  had  never  read  Burke's  books  now 
pretended  they  had. 

Burke  was  a  national  character — such  a  man  merely 
needs  to  be  known  to  be  wanted — strong  men  are  al 
ways  needed.  The  House  of  Commons  opened  its 
doors  to  him — several  boroughs  competing  with  each 
other  for  the  favor  of  being  represented  by  him. 
A  political  break-up  with  opportunity  came  along,  and 
we  find  the  Marquis  of  Rockingham  made  Premier, 
and  Edmund  Burke  his  secretary.  It  was  Fitzherbert 
who  recommended  Burke  to  Rockingham,  and  Fitz 
herbert  is  immortal  for  this  and  for  the  fact  that  John 
son  used  him  to  point  a  moral.  Said  Dr.  Johnson,  "A 
man  is  popular  more  through  negative  qualities  than 
positive  ones.  Fitzherbert  is  the  most  acceptable  man 
in  London  because  he  never  overpowers  any  one  by 
the  superiority  of  his  talents,  makes  no  man  think 
worse  of  himself  by  being  his  rival,  seems  always 
ready  to  listen,  does  not  oblige  you  to  hear  much  from 
him,  and  never  opposes  what  you  say." 
With  Rockingham  and  Burke  it  was  a  case  of  the  tail 
wagging  the  dog,  but  Burke  and  Rockingham  under 
stood  each  other,  and  always  remained  firm  friends. 
QI  believe  it  was  John  J.  Ingalls  who  said  America 
had  never  elected  but  one  first-class  man  for  presi 
dent,  and  he  was  chosen  only  because  he  was  un 
known  jf  jf 
Rockingham  could  neither  make  a  speech  nor  write  a 


EDMUND     BURKE 159 

readable  article;  but  he  was  kindly  disposed,  honest 
and  intelligent  and  had  a  gracious  and  winning  pres 
ence.  He  lives  in  history  to-day  chiefly  because  Ed 
mund  Burke  was  associated  with  him. 
Burke  was  too  big  a  man  for  Premier — such  men  have 
to  be  kept  in  subjection  —  the  popular  will  is  wise. 
Men  like  Burke  make  enemies — common  folks  cannot 
follow  them  in  their  flight,  and  in  their  presence  we 
feel  "like  a  farmer  in  the  presence  of  a  sleight-of- 
hand  man." 

To  have  life,  and  life  in  abundance  is  the  prayer  of 
every  strong  and  valiant  soul.  But  men  are  forever 
running  away  from  life  —  getting  into  "positions," 
monasteries,  communities,  and  now  and  again  cutting 
the  cable  of  existence  by  suicide.  The  man  who  com 
mits  suicide  usually  leaves  a  letter  giving  a  reason — 
most  any  reason  is  sufficient, — he  was  looking  for  a 
reason  and  when  he  thought  he  had  found  it,  he 
seized  upon  it. 

Life  to  Edmund  Burke  was  the  gracious  gift  of  the 
gods,  and  he  was  grateful  for  it.  He  ripened  slowly. 
QArrested  development  never  caught  him — all  the 
days  of  his  life  his  mind  was  expanding  and  reaching 
out  touching  every  phase  of  human  existence.  Noth 
ing  was  foreign  to  him,  nothing  that  related  to  human 
existence  was  small  or  insignificant.  When  the  home- 
thrust  was  made  that  Ireland  had  not  suffered  more 
through  the  absenteeism  of  her  landlords  than  through 
the  absenteeism  of  her  men  of  genius,  Burke  made 


160 EDMUND     BURKE 

the  reply  that  Ireland  needed  friends  in  the  House  of 
Commons  more  than  at  home. 

Burke  loved  Ireland  to  the  last,  and  his  fine  loyalty 
for  her  people  doubtless  cost  him  a  seat  in  the  Cabi 
net.  In  moments  of  passion  his  tongue  took  on  a 
touch  of  the  old  sod  which  gave  Fox  an  opportunity 
of  introducing  a  swell  bull,  "Burke's  brogue  is  worth 
going  miles  to  see."  And  once  when  Burke  was 
speaking  of  America  he  referred  to  the  wondrous 
forests  "where  the  hand  of  man  had  never  trod,"  Fox 
arose  to  a  point  of  order.  And  this  was  a  good  deal 
easier  on  the  part  of  Fox  than  to  try  to  meet  his  man 
in  serious  debate. 

Burke's  was  not  the  primrose  path  of  dalliance.  He 
fought  his  way  inch  by  inch.  Often  it  was  a  dozen  to 
one  against  him.  In  one  speech  he  said,  "The  min 
ister  comes  down  in  state  attended  by  beasts  clean 
and  unclean.  He  opens  his  budget  and  edifies  us  with 
a  speech — one-half  the  house  goes  away.  A  second 
gentleman  gets  up  and  another  half  goes,  and  a  third 
gentleman  launches  a  speech  that  rids  the  house  of 
another  half." 

A  loud  laugh  here  came  in,  and  Burke  stopped  and 
said  he  was  most  happy  if  a  small  dehorned  Irish  bull 
of  his  could  put  the  House  in  such  good  humor,  and 
went  on  with  his  speech.  Soon,  however,  there  were 
cries  of  "Shame!"  from  the  Tories  who  thought 
Burke  was  speaking  disrespectfully  of  the  King. 
Burke  paused  and  said,  "  Mr.  Speaker,  I  have  not 


EDMUND     BURKE  161 

spoken  of  the  King  except  in  high  esteem— I  prize  my 
head  too  well  for  that.  But  I  do  not  think  it  necessary 
that  I  should  bow  down  to  his  man-servant,  his  maid 
servant,  his  ox  or  his  ass"— and  he  fixed  his  intrepid 
gaze  upon  the  chief  offender. 

TNature's  best  use  for  genius  is  to  make  other  men 

v  think ;  to  stir  things  up  so  sedimentation  does  not  take 

f  place ;  to  break  the  anchylosis  of  self-complacency ; 

and  start  the  stream  of  public  opinion  running  so  it 

will  purify  itself. 

Burke  was  an  agitator— not  a  leader.  He  had  the  great 
gift  of  exaggeration,  without  which  no  man  can  be  a 
great  orator.  He  painted  the  picture  large,  and  put  the 
matter  in  a  way  that  compelled  attention.  For  thirty 
years  he  was  a  most  prominent  figure  in  English  poli 
tics — no  great  measure  could  be  passed  without  count 
ing  on  him.  His  influence  held  dishonesty  in  check, 
and  made  oppression  pause. 

History  is  usually  written  from  one  of  three  points  of 
view — political,  literary  or  economic.  Macaulay  stands 
for  the  first,  Taine  the  second,  Buckle  the  third.  Each 
writer  considers  his  subject  supreme.  When  we  speak 
of  the  history  of  a  country  we  usually  refer  to  its 
statesmen. 

y  Politicians  live  the  lives  of  moths  as  compared  with 
1  the  lasting  influence  of  commerce  that  feeds,  houses 
and  clothes,  says  Buckle. 

Rulers   govern,  but  it  is   literature  that  enlightens, 
says  Taine. 


162 


EDMUND     BURKE 


Literature  and  commerce  are  made  possible  only 
through  the  wisdom  of  statesmen,  says  Macaulay. 
Q  Edmund  Burke's  business  was  state-craft;  his  play 
was  letters ;  but  he  lives  for  us  through  letters. 
He  had  two  sets  of  ardent  friends,  his  political  asso 
ciates,  and  that  other  little  group  of  literary  cronies 
made  up  of  Johnson,  Goldsmith,  Boswell,  Reynolds 
and  Garrick. 

With  these  his  soul  was  free — his  sense  of  sublimity 
then   found   wings — the  vocabulary  of  Johnson,  the 
purling  poetry  of  Goldsmith,  the  grace  of  Garrick's 
mimicry,  the  miracle  of  Reynolds'  pencil  and  brush — 
these  ministered  to  his  hungry  heart. 
They  were  forms  of  expression. 
All  life  is  an  expression  of  spirit. 
Burke's  life  was  dedicated  to  expression. 
He  expressed  through  speech,  personal  presence  and 
written  words.  Who  ever  expressed  in  this  way  so 
well  ?  And — stay ! — who  ever  had  so  much  that  was 
-worth  while  to  express  ? 


SO  HERE  ENDETH  THE  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HOME 
OF  EDMUND  BURKE:  WRITTEN  BY  ELBERT  HUBBARD, 
THE  TITLE  PAGE  AND  INITIALS  BEING  DESIGNED 
BY  SAMUEL  WARNER  &  THE  WHOLE  DONE  INTO  A 
PRINTED  BOOK  BY  THE  ROYCROFTERS  AT  THEIR 
SHOP,  WHICH  IS  IN  EAST  AURORA,  ERIE  COUNTY,  NEW 
YORK,  IN  MAY  OF  THE  YEAR  MCMIII  444444 


Burke's  Works 

Beaconsfield  Edition. 

Including  his  "Speeches  on  American 
Affairs,"  his  "  Writings  on  French 
Affairs,"  "  Articles  of  Charge  against 
Warren  Hastings,"  "Speeches  in  the 
Impeachment  of  Hastings,"  "  Miscel 
laneous  Speeches."  "Essays  on  the 
Vindication  of  Natural  Society  and 
The  Sublime  and  Beautiful,"  etc.,  etc. 
Carefully  revised,  and  with  many 
errors  of  previous  editions  corrected. 
Illustrated  with  UO  fine  photogravure 
plates,  and  12  photogravure  titles,  in 
cluding  pwtraits  of  the  most  famous  law 
yers,  judges,  and  statesmen  of  Burke's 
time,  etc. 

Limited  to  one  thousand  sets.  12  vols.  8vo. 
Printed  on  choice  paper  at  the  University 
Press,  &  bound  in  buckram,  gilt  top.  Sold  only 
by  subscription,  and  every  set  numbered.  For 
illustrated  Burke  pamphlet,  price,  etc.,  write 

LITTLE,  BROWN  &  CO.,  Pub's., 

254    Washington    Street,    BOSTON,    MASS. 


DERHAPS  you  would 
•*•  like  to  see  the  Roy- 
croft  Catalog.  It  contains  a 
reprint  of  a  "Cosmopoli 
tan"  article,  telling  about 
the  Shop  and  Things;  also 
some  pictures  of  the  work 
ers,  buildings,  bindings,  etc., 
that  will  interest  the  Elect. 
A  postal  card  will  fetch  it. 

Address, 

THE  ROYCROFTERS 
East  Aurora,  New  York. 


WE  BIND  BOOKS 

BEAUTIFULLY  AND  WELL 

—at  least  some  folks  think  we  do.  But  we  do  not  do  job 
binding:  however,  we  will  bind  up  your  back  numbers 
of  "The  Philistine"  and  "Little  Journeys "  for  you,  the 
prices  as  follows: 

Six  numbers  of  the  "  Little  Journeys  "  in  a  volume,  cov 
ers  and  advertising  pages  all  bound  together  in  solid 
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Six  numbers  of  "The  Philistine"  in  a  volume,  advertis 
ing  pages  and  covers  all  bound  in  solid  boards,  leather 
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$7,500.00  DONATED,  TO  BE  DIVIDED 
AMONG  FAMILY  COOKS. 

The  sum  of  $7,500.00  will  be  distributed  between 
now  and  midsummer  among  family  cooks,  in  735 
prizes  ranging  from  $200.00  to  $5.00. 
This  is  done  to  stimulate  better  cooking  in  the  family 
kitchen.  The  contest  is  open  to  paid  cooks  (drop  the 
name  "hired  girl,"  call  them  cooks  if  they  deserve 
it^  or  to  the  mistress  of  the  household  if  she  does  the 
cooking.  The  rules  for  contest  are  plain  and  simple. 
Each  of  the  735  winners  of  money  prizes  will  also 
receive  an  engraved  certificate  of  merit  or  diploma 
as  a  cook.  The  diplomas  bear  the  big  gilt  seal  and 
signature  of  the  most  famous  food  company  in  the 
world,  The  Postum  Cereal  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Battle 
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Cookery  Department,  No.  340,  for  full  particulars. 
This  remarkable  contest  among  cooks  to  win  the 
money  prizes  and  diplomas  will  give  thousands  of 
families  better  and  more  delicious  meals,  as  well  as 
cleaner  kitchens  and  a  general  improvement  in  the 
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"of  money  devoted  to  such  enterprises  always  result 
in  putting  humanity  further  along  on  the  road  to 
civilization,  health,  comfort  and  happiness. 


HE  BEST  VALUE, 

perhaps,  in  Roycroft  Books  is 
in  the  De  Luxe  copies  of  the 
LITTLE  JOURNEYS.  These 
Volumes  are  One  Dollar  each, 
and  they  are  the  only  One  Dol 
lar  books  the  Roycrofters  have  ever  made  or 
will  ever  make.  On  hand-made  paper,  bound 
in  limp  chamois,  silk  lined,  silk  marker,  hand- 
illumined.  We  have  a  few  on  hand  of  each  of 
the  following  subjects: 


William  Morris 

Robert  Burns 

Macaulay 

Southey 

Robert  Browning 

John  Milton 

Byron 

Coleridge 

Tennyson 

Samuel  Johnson 

Addison 

Disraeli 

Wagner 

Mozart 

Liszt 

Verdi 

Paganini 

Bach 

Beethoven 

Schumann 

Chopin 

Mendelssohn 

Handel 

Brahms 

Raphael 

Thorwaldsen 

Corot 

Cellini 

Leonardo 

Gainsborough 

Correggio 

Abbey 

Botticelli 

Velasquez 

Gian  Bellini 

Whistler 

Just  One  Dollar  each — there  is  no  profit  in  these  books 
for  us,  but  they  keep  our  boys  and  girls  busy,  and 
show  the  world  what  we  can  do. 

The  Roycrofters,  East  Aurora 


HE  imperfections  in  the  article  made  by 
hand  are  its  chief  charm.  The  useful  prod 
uct  thus  thought  out  and  materialized  by 
labor  may  be  very  simple,  quite  inexpen 
sive,  thoroughly  unobtrusive,  yet  at  the 
same  time  decidedly  artistic.  We  have  Rag 
Carpet  Rugs  for  Summer  Cottages.  Cut,  dyed  and  woven 
by  Roycroft  girls  seventy  years  young.  They  will  make 
you  think  you  are  back  on  the  old  farm.  The  price  for  a 
three-yard  rug  is  Three  Dollars.  Address 

THE     ROYGROFTERS 
East    Aurora  New    York 


N 


O  finer  find  can  be 


annexed  than  a  Membership  in  the 
American  Academy  of  Immortals.  The  advan 
tages  are  increased  activity  of  all  the  secretions, 
deeper  breathing  capacity,  perfect  digestion  and 
sleep  o'  nights:  these  things  mean  bigger  bank 
balance  and  the  return  of  wavering  affection. 
The  cost  is  Ten  Dollars,  with  no  further  dues 
for  ninety-nine  years.  Address 

THE    PHILISTINE 
EASTAURORA  NEWYORK 


ERFECT  HEALTH 

You  better  not  bother  about  pre 
paring  for  death;  prepare  for  life! 
We  are  apt  to  get  what  we  pre 
pare  for.  Through  simple  diet, 
work,  play,  music  and  study,  you 
can  live — live  from  seven  in  the  morning  until 
ten  at  night,  and  sleep  without  waking  for  eight 
hours.  That  means  health. 
The  ROYCROFT  PHYSICAL  DIRECTOR 
has  time  to  take  in  charge  at  the  Roycroft  Shop 
two  or  three  men,  of  middle  age  preferred,  who 
have  lost  their  grip  in  a  mental  or  physical  way, 
and  by  Nature's  help,  without  drugs,  bring 
them  back  to  PERFECT  HEALTH. 
For  terms  and  particulars,  suppose  you  write  to 

PROF.   STACY  BETZLER 

PHYSICAL     DIRECTOR    OF    THE    ROYCROFTERS 

EAST    AURORA,     NEW     YORK 

Paris,  January  2,  IQOJ. 

Dear  Fra  Elbertus: — /  have  just  read  your  "Little 
Journey  to  the  Home  of  Whistler. ' ' 
I  congratulate  you.  'The  book  contains  several  things 
I  never  knew  before.  With  best  wishes  I  am  ever, 
Tour  Obedient  Servant, 

JAMES  McNEILL  WHISTLER. 


A  LIFE  MEMBERSHIP 

IN    THE 

American  Scafcemp 
of  Immortals 


COStS  Cttt  SDOilatS — No  further  dues 
or  assessments,  and  no  liabilities.  Your 
duties  consist  in  living  up  to  your  Ideal 
(as  nearly  as  possible)  and  attending 
the  Annual  Dinner  (if  convenient). 

1 i )  The  membership  entitles  you  to  one  copy  of  the  Philistine  maga 
zine  for  ninety-nine  years,  but  no  longer. 

(2 )  All  the  back  bound  volumes  of  "  The  Philistine "  we  have  on  hand. 

(3)  "Little  Journeys,"  beginning  with  current  numbers,  and  all  that 
shall  be  issued  in  future. 

(4)  Such  other  books,  pamphlets,  addresses  and  documents  as  the 
Roycrofters  may  elect  to  send  you  Every  Little  While. 

(5)  Success,  Health  and  Love  Vibrations,  sent  daily  by  the  Pastor  or 
Ali  Baba. 

ADDRESS    THE    BURSAR,    EAST    AURORA,    NEW    YORK 


V.ittl* 


tint 


TO  THE  HOMES  OF  EMINENT  ORATORS 


Vol.  XII.  JUNE,  1903.  No.  6 


By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 


Single  Copies,  25  cents  By  the  Year,  $3.00 


LITTLE  JOURNEYS 

TO     THE    HOMES     OF 

EMINENT    ORATORS 

By  ELBERT  HUBBARD 

SUBJECTS     AS     FOLLOWS: 

1  Pericles  7  Marat 

2  Mark  Antony  8  Robert  Ingersoll 

3  Savonarola  9  John  Randolph 

4  Martin  Luther  10  Thomas  Starr  King 

5  Edmund  feurke  n  Henry  Ward  Beecher 
6*William  Pitt  12  Wendell  Phillips 


One  booklet  a  month  will  be  issued  as  usual,  begin 
ning  on  January  ist. 

The  LITTLE  JOURNEYS  for  1903  will  be  strictly 
de  luxe  in  form  and  workmanship.  The  type  will  be  a 
new  font  of  antique  blackface;  the  initials  designed 
especially  for  this  work ;  a  frontispiece  portrait  from 
the  original  drawing  made  at  our  Shop.  The  booklets 
will  be  stitched  by  hand  with  silk. 
The  price — 25  cents  each,  or  $3.00  for  the  year. 

Address  THE   ROYCROFTERS  at  their 
Shop,   which  is  at  East  Aurora,   New  York 

Entered  at  the  postoffice  at  East  Aurora,  New  York,  for  transmission 
as  second-class  mail  matter.   Copyright,  1002,  by  Elbert  Hubbard 


R    O   Y   C    R    O    F    T 


This  illustration  shows  the  sort  of  chair  that  is  comfortable — 
it  is  easy  to  imagine  yourself  curled  up  on  its  spacious  cush 
ions,  taking  a  nap.  The  chair  is  a  close  replica  of  the  original 
creation  by  William  Morris,  and  is  of  oak,  hand  made,  and 
built  to  last  for  all  time.  Finished  in  weathered  or  Flemish  oak, 
as  desired,  and  cushioned  complete  in  either  leather  or  velour, 
the  price  is  $50. 
If  you  are  interested  in  hand-made  furniture,  write  for  catalog. 


The  Roycfofters 


EAST  AURORA 
NEW  YORK 


The    New    York    Special 

ISTHE     FINE     TRAIN     OF     THE. 

MICHIGAN  (CENTRAL 

"The  Niagara  Falls  Route." 
between  Chicago  and  Detroit  and  Buffalo,  New  York 

and  Boston.  It  leaves  Chicago  5:20  p.  m.  daily  and  arrives  Buffalo 
7:50  a.  m.,  New  York  State  points  during  the  day,  Grand  Central 
Station,  New  York,  at  6:30  p.  m.,  daily,  and  Boston  11:30  p.  m.,  except 
Sunday,  with  Dining,  Pullman  Sleeping  and  Buffet  Library  Cars. 
C.A11  Michigan  Central  trains  arrive  at  and  depart  from  the  Grand 
Central  Station,  New  York,  and  the  New  South  Station,  Boston. 

O.    NY.    RUGGLES, 

General   Passenger  &  Ticket  Agent,  Chicago. 


PHALANSTERY 


The  word  was  first  used  by  Fourier,  and 
means  literally  "the  home  of  friends."  The 
ROYCROFT  PHALANSTERY,  with  its  new 
addition,  just  completed,  consists  of  a  kitchen, 
scientific  and  modern  in  all  of  its  appointments; 
a  dining-room  that  seats  a  hundred  people; 
thirty-eight  sleeping  rooms;  reception  rooms, 
etc.,  etc.  That  is  to  say  it  is  an  INN,  managed 
somewhat  like  a  Swiss  Monastery,  simple,  yet 
complete  in  all  of  its  appointments  —  where  the 
traveler  is  made  welcome.  There  are  always  a 
few  visitors  with  us.  Some  remain  simply  for  a 
meal,  others  stay  a  day,  or  a  week,  or  a  month. 
A  few  avail  themselves  of  the  services  of  our 
Musical  Director,  the  Physical  Instructor,  or 
take  lessons  in  drawing  and  painting.  <L  The 
prices:  Meals,  such  as  they  are,  say  twenty- 
five  cents;  lodging,  fifty  cents.  If  parties  of  a 
dozen  or  more  want  accommodations,  it  is  well 
to  telegraph  ahead  to  THE  BURSAR  of 

THE     ROYCROFTERS 

EAST     AURORA,     NEW     YORK 


DOCTOR'    ON     FOOD 

EXPERIMENTED  ON  HIMSELF. 

• 

A  physician  of  Galion,  O.  says:  "For  the  last  few 
years  I  have  been  a  sufferer  from  indigestion  and 
although  I  have  used  various  remedies  and  pre 
pared  foods  with  some  benefit  it  was  not  until  I 
tried  Grape-Nuts  that  I  was  completely  cured. 
u  As  a  food  it  is  pleasant  and  agreeable,  very 
nutritious  and  is  digested  and  assimilated  with 
very  little  effort  on  the  part  of  the  digestive  or 
gans.  As  a  nerve  food  and  restorer  it  has  no  equal 
and  as  such  is  especially  adapted  to  students  and 
other  brain  workers.  It  contains  the  elements  nec 
essary  for  the  building  of  nerve  tissue  and  by.  so 
doing  maintains  an  equilibrium  of  waste  and  re 
pair. 

"It  also  enriches  the  blood  by  giving  an  increased 
number  of  red  blood  corpuscles  and  in  this  way 
strengthens  all  the  organs,  providing  a  vital  fluid 
made  more  nearly  perfect.  I  take  great  pleasure  in 
recommending  its  use  to  my  patients  for  I  value  it 
as  a  food  and  know  it  will  benefit  all  who  use  it." 
Name  furnished  by  Postum  Co.,  Battle  Creek, 
Michigan. 


Little 

3outnicys 

To  the  Homes  of 

EMINENT 
ORATORS 

itt 


Written  by 
Hubbattd  &  done 
!  into  a  Book  by  the 
Roycpoftcpsattbc 
Shop,  u>bicb  is  in 


York,  ft.  D.  1903 


WILLIAM   PITT 


William   Pitt 


IME  was  when  slaves  were  exported  like  cattle  from 
the  British  Coast  and  exposed  for  sale  in  the  Roman 
market.  These  men  and  women  who  were  thus  sold 
were  supposed  to  be  guilty  of  witchcraft,  debt,  blas 
phemy  or  theft.  Or  else  they  were  prisoners  taken  in 
war — they  had  forfeited  their  right  to  freedom,  and  we  sold  them.  We 
said  they  were  incapable  of  self-government  and  so  must  be  looked 
after.  Later  we  quit  selling  British  slaves,  but  began  to  buy  and 
trade  in  African  humanity.  We  silenced  conscience  by  saying,  "It's 
all  right — they  are  incapable  of  self-government."  We  were  once  as 
obscure,  as  debased,  as  ignorant,  as  barbaric,  as  the  African  is  now. 
I  trust  that  the  time  will  come  when  we  are  willing  to  give  to  Africa 
the  opportunity,  the  hope,  the  right  to  attain  to  the  same  blessings 
that  we  ourselves  enjoy. 

—WILLIAM  PITT  on  Abolition  of  Slavery  in  England. 


WILLIAM     PITT 


163 


|HE  Law  of  Heredity  has  been  described 
as  that  Law  of  our  nature  which  pro 
vides  that  a  man  shall  resemble  his 
grandmother — or  not,  as  the  case  may 
be.  Q  What  traits  are  inherited  and 
what  acquired — who  shall  say?  Married 
folks  who  resort  to  the  happy  expedient 
of  procuring  their  children  at  orphan 
asylums  can  testify  to  the  many  times 
they  have  been  complimented  on  the 
striking  resemblance  of  father  to  daugh 
ter,  or  son  to  mother. 
Possibly  that  is  all  there  is  of  it — we 
resemble  those  with  whom  we  associ 
ate.  Far  be  it  from  me  to  say  the  final 
word  on  this  theme— I  would  not  if  I 
could,  deprive  men  of  a  problem  they 
can  never  solve.  When  all  questions 
are  answered,  it  will  be  time  to  tele 
phone  the  undertaker. 
That  men  of  genius  do  not  reproduce 
themselves  after  the  flesh  is  an  axiom, 
but  that  William  Pitt,  Earl  of  Chatham, 
did,  is  brought  forth  as  an  exception, 
incident,  accident  or  circumstance,  just 
according  to  one's  mood  at  the  moment. 
Q" Great  men  do  have  great  sons!"  we 
cry.  "Just  look  at  the  Pitts,  the  Adamses, 
the  Walpoles,  the  Beechers,  the  Booths, 


i64 


WILLIAM     PITT 


the  Bellinis,  the  Disraelis!"  and  here  we  begin  to  fal 
ter.  And  then  the  opposition  takes  it  up  and  rattles 
off  a  list  of  great  men  whose  sons  were  spendthrifts, 
gamblers,  ne'er-do-wells  and  jackanapes. 
When  Pitt  the  Younger  made  his  first  speech  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  he  struck  thirteen.  The  members 
of  the  House  were  amazed. 
"He's  a  chip  off  the  old  block,"  they  said. 
"  He  's  the  block  itself,"  said  Burke. 
Lord  Rosebery,  who  had  the  felicity  to  own  a  Derby 
winner,  once  said  of  Pitt,  "He  was  bred  for  speed, 
but  not  for  endurance." 


WILLIAM     PITT 


165 


INCE  the  subject  of  heredity 
always  seems  to  come  up  when 
the  Pitts  are  mentioned,  it  may 
be  proper  for  us  to  go  back  and 
trace  pedigree  a  bit,  to  see  if  we 
have  here  the  formula  for  pro 
ducing  a  genius. 

The  grandfather  of  William  Pitt 
the  Elder,  was  Thomas  Pitt,  a 
sea-captain,  trader  and  gentleman  adventurer.  In  fact, 
he  was  a  bold  buccaneer,  but  not  too  bold,  for  he  gave 
large  sums  to  church  and  charity  and  showed  his  zeal 
for  virtue  by  once  hanging  three  smugglers  in  chains, 
high  up  on  a  gibbet  overlooking  the  coast  of  Cornwall, 
and  there  the  bodies  were  left  until  the  birds  of  prey 
and  the  elements  had  bleached  their  bones. 
Thomas  Pitt  was  known  as  "Diamond  Tom"  through 
bringing  from  India  and  selling  to  the  Regent  Orleans 
the  largest  diamond,  I  believe,  ever  owned  in  Eng 
land.  For  this  Diamond  Tom  received  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  thousand  pounds — a  sum  equal  to  one 
million  dollars.  That  Diamond  Tom  received  this 
money  there  is  no  doubt,  but  where  and  how  he  got 
the  diamond  nobody  seems  to  know,  and  in  his  own 
time  it  was  deemed  indelicate  to  inquire. 
Tom  might  have  wasted  that  money  right  shortly — 
there  are  several  ways  of  dissipating  a  fortune — but 
he  wisely  decided  to  found  a  house.  That  is  to  say  he 
bought  a  borough — the  borough  of  Old  Sarum,  the 


166 WILLIAM     PITT 

locality  that  was  to  become  famous  as  the  "rotten 
borough"  of  the  Reform  Bill. 

He  bought  this  borough  and  all  the  tenants  outright 
from  the  Government,  just  as  we  bought  the  Filipinos 
at  two  dollars  per  head.  All  the  people  who  lived  in 
the  borough  had  to  pay  tribute,  taxes  or  rent  to  Tom, 
for  Tom  owned  the  tenures.  They  had  to  pay,  hike  or 
have  their  heads  cut  off.  Most  of  them  paid. 
If  the  time  were  at  our  disposal  it  might  be  worth 
while  to  let  this  brochure  extend  itself  into  a  picture 
of  how  all  the  land  in  England  once  belonged  to  the 
Crown,  and  how  this  land  was  transferred  at  will  to 
Thomas,  Richard  and  Henry  for  cash  or  as  reward 
for  services  rendered.  It  was  much  the  same  in 
America — the  Government  once  owned  all  the  land, 
and  then  this  land  was  sold,  given  out  to  soldiers,  or 
to  homesteaders  who  would  clear  the  land  of  trees, 
and  later  we  reversed  the  proposition  and  gave  the 
land  to  those  who  would  plant  trees. 
There  was  this  similarity,  too,  between  English  and 
American  land  laws:  the  Indians  on  the  land  in 
America  had  to  pay,  move  or  be  perforated.  For  them 
to  pay  rent  or  work  out  a  road  tax,  was  quite  out  of 
the  question.  Indians,  like  the  Irish,  will  not  pay  rent, 
so  we  were  compelled  to  evict  them. 
But  there  was  this  difference  in  America:  the  owner 
of  the  land  could  sell  it;  in  England  he  could  not.  The 
law  of  entail  has  been  much  modified,  but  as  a  general 
proposition  the  land  owner  in  England  has  the  privi- 


WILLIAM     PITT  167 

lege  of  collecting  the  rent,  and  warning  off  poachers, 
but  he  cannot  mortgage  the  land  and  eat  it  up.  This 
keeps  the  big  estates  intact,  and  is  a  very  good  scheme. 
Under  a  similar  law  in  the  United  States,  Uncle  Billy 
Bushnell  or  Ali  Baba  might  live  in  Hot  Springs,  Ar 
kansas,  and  own  every  foot  of  East  Aurora,  and  all  of 
us  would  then  vote  as  Baron  Bushnell  or  Sir  Ali  dic 
tated,  thus  avoiding  much  personal  animus  at  Town 
Meetin'  time. 

But  no  tenure  can  be  made  with  death— he  can  neither 
be  bought,  bribed,  cajoled  nor  intimidated.  Diamond 
Tom  died  and  his  eldest  son  Robert  came  into  pos 
session  of  the  estate. 

Now  Robert  was  commonplace  and  beautifully  medi 
ocre.  It  is  one  of  Nature's  little  ironies  at  the  expense 
of  the  Law  of  Entail,  that  she  will  occasionally  send 
out  of  the  spirit  realm,  into  a  place  of  worldly  im 
portance,  a  man  who  is  a  regular  chibot,  chitterling 
and  chump.  Robert  Pitt,  son  of  Diamond  Tom,  es 
caped  all  censure  and  unkind  criticism  by  doing  noth 
ing,  saying  nothing  and  being  nothing. 
But  he  proved  procreant  and  reared  a  goodly  brood 
of  sons  and  daughters— all  much  like  himself,  save 
one,  the  youngest  son. 

This  son,  by  name  William  Pitt,  very  much  re 
sembled  Diamond  Tom,  his  illustrious  grandfather 

Nature  bred  back.  William  was  strong  in  body,  firm 
in  will,  active,  alert,  intelligent.  Times  had  changed 
or  he  might  have  been  a  bold  buccaneer,  too.  He  was 


168 WILLIAM     PITT 

all  his  grandfather  was,  only  sand-papered,  buffed 
and  polished  by  civilization. 

He  was  sent  to  Eton,  and  then  to  Trinity  College, 
Oxford,  where  buccaneer  instincts  broke  out  and  he 
left  without  a  degree.  Two  careers  were  open  to  him, 
as  to  all  aspiring  sons  of  Noble  Beef-eaters — he  could 
enter  the  Church  or  the  Army. 

He  chose  the  Army,  and  became  in  due  course  the 
first  cornet  of  his  company. 

His  elder  brother  Thomas  was  very  naturally  a  mem 
ber  of  the  House  of  Commons  for  Old  Sarum,  and 
later  sat  for  Oakhampton.  Another  of  Nature's  little 
ironies  here  outcrops:  Thomas,  who  was  named  for 
his  illustrious  grandfather — he  of  the  crystallized  car 
bon — didn't  resemble  his  grandfather  nearly  so  much 
as  did  his  younger  brother  William.  So  Thomas  with 
surprising  good  sense  named  his  brother  for  a  seat  in 
the  House  of  Commons  from  Old  Sarum. 
'William  was  but  twenty-seven  years  of  age  when  he 
began  his  official  career,  but  he  seemed  one  who  had 
leaped  into  life  full  armed.  He  absorbed  knowledge 
on  every  hand.  Demosthenes  was  his  idol,  and  he, 
too,  declaimed  by  the  sea-shore  with  his  mouth  full 
of  pebbles.  His  splendid  command  of  language  was 
acquired  by  the  practice  of  translation  and  re-trans 
lation.  Whether  Greek  or  Latin  ever  helped  any  man 
to  become  a  better  thinker  is  a  mooted  question,  but 
the  practice  of  talking  off  in  your  own  tongue  a  page 
of  a  foreign  language  is  a  mighty  good  way  to  lubri- 


WILLIAM     PITT 169 

cate  your  English.  QWilliam  Pitt  had  all  the  graces 
of  a  great  orator — he  was  deliberate,  self-possessed, 
positive.  In  form  he  was  rather  small,  but  he  had  a 
way  of  carrying  himself  that  gave  an  impression  of 
size.  He  was  one  of  the  world's  big  little  men — the 
type  of  Aaron  Burr,  Alexander  Hamilton,  Benjamin 
Harrison  and  John  D.  Long.  In  the  House  of  Com 
mons  he  lost  no  time  in  making  his  presence  felt.  He 
was  assertive,  theatrical,  declamatory— still,  he  usu 
ally  knew  what  he  was  talking  about.  His  criticisms 
of  the  Government  so  exasperated  Sir  Robert  Wai- 
pole  that  Walpole  used  to  refer  to  him  as  "that  ter 
rible  cornet  of  horse."  Finally  Walpole  had  him 
dismissed  from  the  Army.  This  instead  of  silencing 
the  young  man  really  made  matters  worse,  and 
George  II.,  who  patronized  the  Opposition  when  he 
could  not  down  it,  made  him  groom  of  the  bed  cham 
ber  to  the  Prince  of  Wales.  This  was  an  office  lined 
with  adipose,  with  no  work  to  speak  of. 
The  feeling  is  that  Pitt  revealed  his  common  clay  by 
accepting  the  favor.  He  was  large  enough  to  get  along 
without  such  things. 

In  most  of  the  good  old  "School  Speakers"  was  an 
extract  from  a  speech  supposed  to  have  been  delivered 
by  Pitt  on  the  occasion  of  his  being  taunted  by  Horatio 
Walpole  on  account  of  his  youth.  Pitt  replied  in  lan 
guage  something  like  this :  "  It  is  true  that  I  am  young, 
yet  I  '11  get  over  that;  but  the  man  who  is  a  fool  will 
probably  remain  one  all  his  days." 


WILLIAM     PITT 


The  speech  was  reported  by  a  lout  of  a  countryman, 
Samuel  Johnson  by  name,  who  had  come  up  to  Lon 
don  to  make  his  fortune,  and  found  his  first  work  in 
reporting  speeches  in  the  House  of  Commons.  Pitt  did 
not  write  out  his  speeches  for  the  press,  weeks  in  ad 
vance,  according  to  latter  day  methods  ;  the  man  who 
reported  them  had  to  have  a  style  of  his  own  —  and 
certainly  Johnson  had.  Pitt  was  much  pleased  with 
Johnson's  reports  of  his  speeches,  but  on  one  occasion 
mildly  said,  "Ah,  Mr.  Johnson  —  you  know  —  I  do  not 
exactly  remember  using  that  expression!  " 
And  Samuel  Johnson  said,  "  Sir,  it  is  barely  possible 
that  you  did  not  use  the  language  as  I  have  written  it 
out;  but  you  should."  Just  how  much  Johnson  we  get 
in  Pitt's  printed  speeches  is  still  a  topic  for  debate. 
CJPitt  could  think  on  his  feet,  while  Samuel  Johnson 
never  made  but  one  speech  and  broke  down  in  that. 
But  Johnson  could  write,  and  the  best  of  Pitt's 
speeches  are  those  reported  by  Ursa  Major  in  a  style 
superbly  Johnsonese.  The  member  from  Old  Sarum 
once  sent  Johnson  two  butts  of  Canary  and  a  barrel  of 
white-bait,  as  a  token  of  appreciation  for  his  skill  in 
accurate  reporting. 

Pitt  followed  the  usual  course  of  successful  reformers, 
and  in  due  time  lined  up  on  the  side  of  the  conserva 
tives,  and  gradually  succumbed  to  a  strictly  aristo 
cratic  disease,  gout.  Whether  genius  is  transmissible 
or  not  is  a  question,  but  all  authorities  agree  as  to  gout. 
C[  Pitt's  opposition  to  the  Walpoles  was  so  very  firmly 


WILLIAM     PITT 171 

rooted  that  it  continued  for  life,  and  for  this  he  was 
rewarded  by  the  Duchess  of  Maryborough  with  a 
legacy  of  ten  thousand  pounds.  Her  Grace  was  the 
mother  of  the  lady  who  had  the  felicity  to  have  her 
picture  painted  by  Gainsborough,  which  picture  was 
brought  to  America  and  secreted  here  for  many  years 
and  finally  was  purchased  for  sixty-five  thousand 
dollars  by  Pierpont  Morgan,  through  the  kind  offices 
of  my  friend  Patricius  Sheedy,  Philistine-at-Large. 
QThe  Duchess  in  her  will  said  she  gave  the  money  to 
Pitt  as  "an  acknowledgment  of  the  noble  defense  he 
had  made  for  the  support  of  the  laws  of  England." 
But  the  belief  is  that  it  was  her  hatred  for  Walpole 
that  prompted  her  admiration  for  Pitt.  And  her  de 
testation  of  Walpole  was  not  so  much  political  as 
sentimental — a  woman's  love  affairs  being  much  more 
to  her  than  patriotism,  but  the  Duchess  being  a 
woman  deceived  herself  as  to  reasons.  Our  acts  are 
right,  but  our  reasons  seldom  are.  I  leave  this  Marl- 
borough  matter  with  those  who  are  interested  in  the 
psychology  of  the  heart — merely  calling  attention  to 
the  fact  that  although  the  Duchess  was  ninety  when 
she  passed  out,  the  warm  experiences  of  her  early 
womanhood  were  very  vivid  in  her  memory.  If  you 
•wish  to  know  when  love  dies  out  of  a  woman's  brain, 
you  will  have  to  ask  someone  who  is  older  than  was 
the  Duchess  of  Marlborough. 

When  George  II.  died,  and  his  grandson  George  III. 
came  into  power,  Pitt  resigned  his  office  in  the  cabinet 


WILLIAM     PITT 


and  abandoned  politics.  QAt  last  he  found  time  to  get 
married.  He  was  then  forty-six  years  of  age. 
Men  retire  from  active  life,  but  seldom  remain  upon 
the  shelf,  —  either  life  or  death  takes  them  down.  In 
five  years  time  we  find  the  King  offering  Pitt  anything 
in  sight,  and  Mr.  Pitt,  the  Great  Commoner,  became 
Viscount  Pitt,  Earl  of  Chatham. 

By  this  move  Pitt  lost  in  popularity  more  than  he  had 
gained  in  dignity  —  there  was  a  complete  revulsion  of 
feeling  toward  him  by  the  people,  and  he  never  again 
attained  the  influence  and  power  he  had  once  known. 
Cf  Burke  once  referred  to  a  certain  proposed  bill  as 
"insignificant,  irrelevant,  pompous,  creeping,  explan 
atory  and  ambiguous  —  done  in  the  true  Chathamic 
style."  && 

But  the  disdain  of  Burke  was  really  complimentary  — 
it  took  a  worthy  foe  to  draw  his  fire.  Chatham's  faults 
were  mostly  on  the  surface,  and  were  more  a  matter 
of  manner  than  of  head  or  heart.  America  has  cause 
to  treasure  the  memory  of  Chatham.  He  opposed  the 
Stamp  Act  with  all  the  vigor  of  his  tremendous  intel 
lect,  and  in  the  last  speech  of  his  life  he  prophesied 
that  the  Americans  would  never  submit  to  taxation 
without  representation,  and  that  all  the  power  of 
England  was  not  great  enough  to  subdue  men  who 
were  fighting  for  their  country.  Yet  his  appeal  to 
George  III.  and  his  minions  was  like  bombarding  a 
fog.  But  all  he  said  proved  true. 
On  the  occasion  of  this  last  great  speech  Chatham 


WILLIAM     PITT 


173 


was  attended  by  his  favorite  son  William,  then  nine 
teen  years  old.  Proud  as  was  this  father  of  his  son,  he 
did  not  guess  that  in  four  short  years  this  boy  would, 
through  his  brilliancy,  cast  his  own  splendid  efforts 
into  the  shadow;  and  that  Burke,  the  querulous, 
would  give  the  son  a  measure  of  approbation  never 
vouchsafed  to  the  father. 

William  Pitt,  the  younger,  is  known  as  the  "Great 
Pitt,"  to  distinguish  him  from  his  father,  who  in  his 
day  was  known  as  the  greatest  man  in  England. 


174 


WILLIAM     PITT 


ILLIAM  PITT,  the  second  son 
of  the  Earl  of  Chatham,  was  born 
of  poor  but  honest  parents,  in  the 
year  1759.  That  was  the  year  that 
gave  us  Robert  Burns — between 
whom  and  Pitt,  in  some  respects, 
averages  were  held  good.  The 
same  year  was  born  William 
Wilberforce,  philanthropist  and 
emancipator,  father  of  Canon  Wilberforce. 
At  this  time  the  fortunes  of  William  Pitt  the  elder 
were  at  full  flood.  England  was  in  a  fever  of  exulta 
tion — drunk  with  success.  Just  where  the  thought  got 
abroad  that  the  average  Englishman  is  moderate  in 
success  and  in  defeat  not  cast  down,  I  do  not  know. 
But  this  I  have  seen:  All  London  mad,  howling,  ex 
ultant,  savage  drunk,  because  of  the  report  that  the 
Red  Coats  had  subjugated  this  colony  or  that.  To  sub 
due,  crush,  slay  and  defeat,  has  caused  shrieking 
shouts  of  joy  in  London  since  London  began — unless 
the  slain  were  Englishmen. 

This  is  patriotism,  concerning  which  Samuel  Johnson, 
reporter  in  the  House  of  Commons,  once  made  a  re 
mark  slightly  touched  with  acerbity. 
In  the  years  1758  to  1759  not  a  month  passed  but  bon 
fires  burned  bright  from  Cornwall  to  Scotland  in 
honor  of  English  victories  on  land  and  sea.  In  'West 
phalia,  British  Infantry  defeated  the  armies  of  Louis 
XV.;  Boscawen  had  sunk  a  French  fleet;  Hawke  put 


WILLIAM     PITT 175 

to  flight  another;  Amherst  tookTiconderoga;  Clive  de 
stroyed  a  Dutch  armament;  Wolfe  achieved  victory 
and  a  glorious  death  at  Quebec.  English  arms  had 
marched  triumphant  through  India  and  secured  for 
the  tight  little  island  an  empire,  while  another  had 
been  gained  on  the  shores  of  Ontario. 
For  all  this  the  Great  Commoner  received  most  of 
the  glory;  and  that  this  tremendous  popularity  was 
too  great  to  last  is  but  a  truism. 

But  in  such  a  year  it  was  that  William  Pitt  was 
born.  His  father  was  fifty  years  old,  his  mother  about 
thirty.  This  mother  was  a  woman  of  rare  grace,  in 
tellect  and  beauty,  the  only  sister  of  two  remarkable 
brothers — George  Grenville,  the  obstinate  adviser  of 
George  III.,  the  man  who  did  the  most  to  make 
America  free — unintentionally — and  the  other  brother 
was  Richard  Earl  Temple,  almost  equally  potent  for 
right  or  wrong. 

That  the  child  of  a  sensitive  mother,  born  amid  such 
a  crash  of  excitement,  should  be  feeble  was  to  be  ex 
pected.  No  one  at  first  expected  the  baby  to  survive. 
QBut  tenderness  and  care  brought  him  through,  and 
he  grew  into  a  tall,  spindling  boy  whose  intellect  far 
outmatched  his  body.  He  was  too  weak  to  be  sent  to 
take  his  place  at  a  common  school,  and  so  his  father 
and  mother  taught  him. 

Between  the  father  and  son  there  grew  up  a  fine  bond 
of  affection.  Whenever  the  father  made  a  public  ad 
dress  the  boy  was  there  to  admire  and  applaud. 


WILLIAM     PITT 


The  father's  declining  fortunes  drove  him  back  to  his 
family  for  repose,  and  all  of  his  own  ambitions  became 
centered  in  his  son.  With  a  younger  man  this  might 
not  have  been  the  case,  but  the  baby  boy  of  an  old 
man  means  much  more  to  him  than  a  brood  coming 
early  *T  *T 

Daily,  this  boy  of  twelve  or  fourteen,  would  go  to  his 
father's  study  to  recite.  Oratory  was  his  aim,  and  the 
intent  was  that  he  should  become  the  greatest  parlia 
mentarian  of  his  time. 

This  little  mutual  admiration  society  composed  of 
father  and  son,  speaks  volumes  for  both.  Boys  reach 
ing  out  toward  manhood,  when  they  are  neither  men 
nor  boys,  often  have  little  respect  for  their  fathers  — 
they  consider  the  pater  to  be  both  old-fashioned  and 
tyrannical.  And  the  father,  expecting  too  much  of  the 
son,  often  fails  in  faith  and  patience;  but  there  was  no 
such  failure  here.  Chatham  personally  superintended 
the  matter  of  off-hand  translation,  and  this  practice 
was  kept  up  daily  from  the  time  the  boy  was  eight 
years  old,  until  he  was  nineteen,  when  his  father  died. 
QThen  there  was  the  tutor  Pretyman  who  must  not  be 
left  out.  He  was  a  combination  valet  and  teacher,  and 
the  most  pedantic  and  idolatrous  person  that  ever 
moused  through  dusty  tomes.  With  a  trifle  more  adi 
pose  and  a  little  less  intellect,  he  would  have  made  a 
most  successful  and  awful  butler.  He  seemed  a  type 
of  the  English  waiter  who  by  some  chance  had  ac 
quired  a  college  education,  and  never  said  a  wrong 


WILLIAM     PITT 177 

thing,  nor  did  a  right  one,  during  his  whole  life. 
Q  Pretyman  wrote  a  life  of  Pitt,  and  according  to 
Macaulay  it  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  worst 
biography  ever  written.  Lord  Rosebery,  however, 
declares  the  book  is  not  so  bad  as  it  might  be.  I  be 
lieve  there  are  two  other  biographies  equally  stupid— 
"Weems'  Life  of  Washington"  and  the  book  on 
Gainsborough  by  Thicknesse.  Weems'  book  was 
written  to  elevate  his  man  into  a  demi-god;  Thick 
nesse  was  intent  on  lowering  his  subject  and  exalting 
himself;  while  Pretyman  extols  himself  and  his  sub 
ject  equally,  revealing  how  William  Pitt  could  never 
have  been  William  Pitt  were  it  not  for  his  tutor. 
Pretyman  emphasizes  trifles,  slights  important  mat 
ters,  and  waxes  learned  concerning  the  irrelevant. 
QA  legacy  coming  to  Pretyman,  he  changed  his  name 
to  Tomline,  as  women  change  their  names  when  they 
marry  or  enter  a  convent. 

Religion  to  Pitt  was  quite  a  perfunctory  affair,  neces 
sary,  of  course ;  but  a  bishop  in  England  was  one  who 
could  do  little  good  and,  fortunately,  not  much  harm. 
With  an  irony  too  subtle  to  be  seen  by  but  very  few, 
Pitt  when  twenty-seven  years  of  age  made  his  old 
tutor  Bishop  of  Winchester.  Tomline  proved  an  ex 
cellent  and  praiseworthy  bishop;  and  his  obsequious 
loyalty  to  Pitt  led  to  the  promise  that  if  the  Primacy 
should  become  vacant,  Tomline  was  to  be  made 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
This  promise  was  told  by  the  unthinking  Tomline, 


WILLIAM     PITT 


and  reached  the  ears  of  George  III.,  a  man  who  at 
times  was  very  much  alert. 

There  came  a  day  when  the  Primacy  was  vacant,  and 
to  head  off  the  nomination  by  Pitt,  the  King  one 
morning  at  eight  o'clock  walked  over  to  the  residence 
of  Bishop  Manners  Somers  and  plied  the  knocker. 
QThe  servant  who  answered  the  summons  explained 
that  the  Bishop  was  taking  his  bath  and  could  not  be 
seen  until  he  had  had  breakfast. 
But  the  visitor  was  importunate. 

The  servant  went  back  to  his  master  and  explained 
that  the  stout  man  at  the  door  would  neither  go  away 
nor  tell  his  name,  but  must  see  his  lordship  at  once. 
QWhen  the  Bishop  appeared  in  his  dressing-gown 
and  saw  the  King,  he  nearly  had  apoplexy.  But  the 
King  quickly  told  his  errand  and  made  his  friend 
Primate  on  the  doorstep,  with  the  butler  and  house 
maid  for  witnesses. 

Later  in  the  day  when  Pitt  appeared  at  the  palace  he 
was  told  that  a  Primate  had  been  appointed  —  the  King 
was  very  sorry,  but  the  present  incumbent  could  not 
be  removed  unless  charges  were  preferred.  Pitt  smil 
ingly  congratulated  the  King  on  the  wisdom  of  his 
choice,  but  afterward  referred  to  the  transaction  as 
"a  rather  scurvy  trick." 

At  twenty-three  years  of  age  "William  Pitt  entered 
the  House  of  Commons  from  the  same  borough  that 
his  father  had  represented  at  twenty-seven.  His  elder 
brother  made  way  just  as  had  the  elder  brother  of  his 


WILLIAM     PITT 179 

father.  QThe  first  speech  he  made  in  Parliament  fixed 
his  place  in  that  body.  His  fame  had  preceded  him, 
and  when  he  arose  every  seat  was  taken  to  hear  the 
favorite  son  of  the  Earl  of  Chatham,  the  greatest  ora 
tor  England  had  ever  seen. 

The  subject  was  simply  a  plan  of  finance,  and  lacked 
all  excuse  for  fine  phrasing  or  flavor  of  sentiment. 
And  what  should  a  boy  of  twenty-three  know  about  a 
nation's  financial  policy? 

Yet  this  boy  knew  all  about  it.  Figures,  statistics,  re 
sults,  conclusions,  were  shown  in  a  steady,  flowing, 
accurate,  lucid  manner.  The  young  man  knew  his 
theme — every  byway,  highway  and  tracing  of  it.  By 
that  speech  he  proved  his  mathematical  genius,  and 
blazed  the  way  straight  to  the  office  of  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer. 

Not  only  did  he  know  his  theme,  but  he  had  the  abil 
ity  to  explain  it.  He  spoke  without  hesitation  or  em 
barrassment,  and  revealed  the  same  splendid  dignity 
that  his  father  had  shown,  all  flavored  by  the  same 
dash  of  indifference  for  the  auditor.  But  the  discern 
ing  ones  saw  that  he  surpassed  his  father,  in  that  he 
carried  more  reserve  and  showed  a  suavity  that  was 
not  the  habit  of  Chatham. 

And  the  man  was  there — mighty  and  self-reliant. 
The  voice  is  the  index  of  the  soul.  The  voice  of  the 
two  Pitts  was  the  same  voice,  we  have  been  told — a 
deep,  rich,  cultivated  lyric-baritone.  It  was  a  trained 
voice,  a  voice  that  came  from  a  full  column  of  air, 


i8o WILLIAM     PITT 

that  never  broke  into  a  screech,  rasping  the  throat  of 
the  speaker  and  the  ear  of  the  listener.  It  was  the 
natural  voice  carefully  developed  by  right  use.  The 
power  of  Pitt  lay  in  his  cold,  calculating  intellect,  but 
the  instrument  that  made  manifest  this  intellect  was 
his  deep,  resonant,  perfectly  controlled  voice. 
Pitt  never  married,  and  according  to  the  biting  phrase 
of  Fox,  all  he  knew  of  love  was  a  description  of  it  he 
got  from  the  Iliad.  That  is  to  say  he  was  separated 
from  it  about  three  thousand  years.  This  is  a  trifle  too 
severe,  for  when  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  met  the 
daughter  of  Necker  at  Paris — she  who  was  to  give 
the  world  of  society  a  thrill  as  Madam  de  Stael.  And 
if  the  gossips  are  right  it  was  not  the  fault  of  Pitt 
that  a  love  match  did  not  follow.  But  the  woman 
gauged  the  man,  and  she  saw  that  love  to  him  would 
merely  be  an  incident,  not  a  consuming  passion,  and 
she  was  not  the  woman  to  write  a  book  on  Farthest 
North.  She  dallied  with  the  young  man  a  day,  and 
then  sent  him  about  his  business,  exasperated  and 
perplexed.  He  could  strike  fire  with  men  as  flint 
strikes  on  flint,  but  women  were  outside  his  realm. 
QYet  he  followed  the  career  of  Madam  de  Stael,  and 
never  managed  to  quite  get  her  out  of  his  life.  Once 
in  his  later  years  he  referred  to  her  as  that  "cold  and 
trifling  daughter  of  France's  greatest  financier."  He 
admired  the  father  more  than  he  loved  the  daughter. 
QFor  twenty-four  years  Pitt  piloted  England's  ship 
of  state.  There  were  constant  head  winds,  and  now 


WILLIAM     PITT 181 

and  again  shifting  gales  of  fierce  opposition,  and  all 
the  time  a  fat  captain  to  pacify  and  appease.  This 
captain  was  stupid,  sly,  obstinate  and  insane  by  turns, 
and  to  run  the  ship  and  still  allow  the  captain  to  be 
lieve  that  he  was  in  command,  was  the  problem  that 
confronted  Pitt.  And  that  he  succeeded  as  well  as  any 
living  man  could,  there  is  no  doubt. 
During  the  reign  of  Pitt,  England  lost  the  American 
Colonies.  This  was  not  a  defeat  for  England,  it  was 
Destiny.    England    preserved    her   independence   by 
cutting  the  cable  that  bound  her  to  us. 
The   life   of  Pitt  was  a  search  for  power — to   love, 
wealth  and  fame  he  was  indifferent. 
He  was  able  to  successfully  manage  the  finances  of  a 
nation,  but  his  own  were  left  in  a  sorry  muddle — at 
his  death  it  took  forty  thousand  pounds  to  cause  him 
to   be   worth   nothing.    His  debts  were  paid  by  the 
nation.  And  this  indifference  to  his  own  affairs  was 
put  forth  at  the  time  as  proof  of  his  probity  and  ex 
cellence.  We  think  now  that  it  marked  his  limita 
tions.    His   income    for  twenty   years   preceding   his 
death  was  about  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year.  One 
hour  a  day  in  auditing  accounts  with  his  butler  would 
have  made  all  secure.  He  had  neither  wife,  child  nor 
dependent  kinsmen,  yet  it  was  found  that  his  house 
hold  consumed  nine  hundred  pounds  of  meat  per  week 
and  enough  beer  to  float  a  ship.  For  a  man  to  waste 
his  own  funds  in  riotous  living  is  only  a  trifle  worse 
than  to  allow  others  to  do  the  same. 


182 


WILLIAM     PITT 


Literature,  music  and  art  owe  little  to  Pitt — only 
lovers  care  for  beauty — the  sensuous  was  not  for  him. 
He  knew  the  classics,  spoke  French  like  a  Parisian, 
reveled  in  history,  had  no  confidantes,  and  loved  one 
friend — Wilberforce. 

Pictures  of  Pitt  by  Reynolds  and  Gainsborough  reveal 
a  face  commonplace  in  feature  save  for  the  eye — "the 
most  brilliant  eye  ever  seen  in  a  human  face."  In  de 
scribing  the  man,  one  word  always  seems  to  creep  in, 
the  word  "haughty."  That  the  man  was  gentle,  kind 
and  even  playful  among  the  few  who  knew  him  best, 
there  is  no  doubt.  The  austerity  of  his  manner  was 
the  inevitable  result  of  an  ambition  the  sole  aim  of 
which  was  to  dictate  the  policy  of  a  great  nation.  All 
save  honor  was  sacrificed  to  this  end,  and  that  the  man 
was  successful  in  his  ambition,  there  is  no  dispute. 
QWhen  he  died,  aged  forty-seven,  he  was  by  popular 
acclaim  the  greatest  Englishman  of  his  time,  and  the 
passing  years  have  not  shaken  that  proud  position. 


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bhr  :>  W 


Do  not  let  the  milk  of  human  kindness  in  your  heart 
turn  to  bonny-clabber. 

If  you  do  anything  that  is  worth  while,  or  if  you  are  any 
body,  you  will  surely  be  assailed.  That  is  your  opportu 
nity — keep  sweet.  If  you  are  reviled,  do  not  imitate  your 
reviler  and  revile  back;  explanations  never  explain  and 
vindications  do  not  vindicate.  Your  life  must  justify  itself — 


KEEP  SWEET! 


Everything  is  being  attacked ;  and  oxygen  is  the  thing 
that  is  waging  relentless  war  on  things.  Oxygen  gives 
life,  and  takes  it.  Oxygen  disintegrates  all  vegetation, 
iron,  even  the  rocks — all  excepting  rock  crystals.  Glass 
and  porcelain  are  a  species  of  crystal,  made  by  artificial 
process — time  does  not  affect  glass  and  porcelain — these 
things  absorb  no  poisons — are  antiseptic  and  can  be 
easily  cleaned.  That  is  why  glass  and  porcelain  are  used 
in  the  WILKE  REFRIGERATORS— they  KEEP 
THINGS  S  W  E  E  T .  And  where  the  WILKE 
is  in  use  the  lady  of  the  house  finds  it  easy  to 


KEEP  SWEET 


HE  BEST  VALUE, 

perhaps,  in  Roycroft  Books  is 
in  the  De  Luxe  copies  of  the 
LITTLE  JOURNEYS.  These 
Volumes  are  One  Dollar  each, 
and  they  are  the  only  One  Dol 
lar  books  the  Roycrofters  have  ever  made  or 
will  ever  make.  On  hand-made  paper,  bound 
in  limp  chamois,  silk  lined,  silk  marker,  hand- 
illumined.  We  have  a  few  on  hand  of  each  of 
the  following  subjects : 


William  Morris 

Robert  Burns 

Macaulay 

Southey 

Robert  Browning 

John  Milton 

Byron 

Coleridge 

Tennyson 

Samuel  Johnson 

Addison 

Disraeli 

Wagner 

Mozart 

Liszt 

Verdi 

Paganini 

Bach 

Beethoven 

Schumann 

Chopin 

Mendelssohn 

Handel 

Brahms 

Raphael 

Thorwaldsen 

Corot 

Cellini 

Leonardo 

Gainsborough 

Correggio 

Abbey 

Botticelli 

Velasquez 

Gian  Bellini 

Whistler 

Just  One  Dollar  each — there  is  no  profit  in  these  books 
for  us,  but  they  keep  our  boys  and  girls  busy,  and 
show  the  world  what  we  can  do. 

The  Roycrofters,  East  Aurora 


HE  imperfections  in  the  article  made  by 
hand  are  its  chief  charm.  The  useful  prod 
uct  thus  thought  out  and  materialized  by 
labor  may  be  very  simple,  quite  inexpen 
sive,  thoroughly  unobtrusive,  yet  at  the 
same  time  decidedly  artistic.  We  have  Rag 
Carpet  Rugs  for  Summer  Cottages.  Cut,  dyed  and  woven 
by  Roycroft  girls  seventy  years  young.  They  will  make 
you  think  you  are  back  on  the  old  farm.  The  price  for  a 
three-yard  rug  is  Three  Dollars.  Address 

THE     ROYCROFTERS 
East    Aurora  New    York 


N 


O  finer  find  can  be 


annexed  than  a  Membership  in  the 
American  Academy  of  Immortals.  The  advan 
tages  are  increased  activity  of  all  the  secretions, 
deeper  breathing  capacity,  perfect  digestion  and 
sleep  o'  nights:  these  things  mean  bigger  bank 
balance  and  the  return  of  wavering  affection. 
The  cost  is  Ten  Dollars,  with  no  further  dues 
for  ninety-nine  years.  Address 

THE    PHILISTINE 


EAST    AURORA 


NEW    YORK 


List  of  Books 

for  sale  at  our  Shop 

Below  is  a  list  of  books,  some  of  which  have  al 
most  disappeared  from  mortal  view.  The  volumes 
are  all  bound  roycroftie,  and  are  offered  to  the  Dis 
cerning  at  the  prices  quoted.  The  Roycrofters  are 
always  glad  to  send  their  wares  for  inspection. 
Therefore,  no  matter  where  you  reside,  drop  us  a 
postal  saying  what  books  you  would  like  to  see, 
and  they  will  go  forward  at  once. 


i 


Aucassin  and  Nicolete,  $2.00 
Will  o' the  Mill,  2.00 

Old  John  Burroughs,  2.00 
A  Christmas  Carol,  2.00 
Poe's  Poems,  2.50 

Rubaiyat,  5.00 

Contemplations,  5.00 

Garcia  and  Thirteen,      2.00 
Little  Journeys,  accord 
ing  to  binding,  $2,  $3  &  5.00 


Story  of  a  Passion, 

Golden  River, 

Christmas  Eve, 

Self-Reliance, 

Maud, 

Dreams, 

Hamlet, 

Lodging  for  the  Night, 

Philistine,  Vols.  XI  to 

XV,  inclusive,  each, 


$2.00 
2.00 
2.OO 
2  OO 
2.00 
5^0 
5.OO 


The  Rovcrofters 


-m 


East  Aurora, 
New  York. 


A  LIFE  MEMBERSHIP 

IN   THE 

American  totiemp 
of  immortals 


C00f  0  Ctn  200iiat0 — No  further  dues 
or  assessments,  and  no  liabilities.  Your 
duties  consist  in  living  up  to  your  Ideal 
(as  nearly  as  possible)  and  attending 
the  Annual  Dinner  (if  convenient). 

(i)  The  membership  entities  you  to  one  copy  of  the  Philistine  maga 
zine  for  ninety-nine  years,  but  no  longer* 
(2  )  All  the  back-bound  volumes  of  "  The  Philistine  "  we  have  on  hand. 

(3)  "Little  Journeys,"  beginning  with  current  numbers,  and  all  that 
shall  be  issued  in  future. 

(4)  Such  other  books,  pamphlets,  addresses  and  documents  as  the 
Roycrofters  may  elect  to  «end  you  Every  Little  While. 

(5)  Success,  Health  and  Love  Vibrations,  sent  daily  by  the  Pastor  or 
Ali  Baba. 

ADDRESS  THE  BURSAR,  EAST  AURORA,  NEW  YORK 


GENERAL  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWE 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or  on  the 

date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

T " 


2lJan'57K.t 
BEC'D  t£> 

JAN  8    1957 


21-100m-l,'54(1887sl6)476 


I74S01 


i*h. 


